Outsider Stories: The Rise of Janus
by HunterOrion15
Summary: You know, dying was never on my list of things to do. I certainly didn't expect to meet up with a guardian angel of sorts, or get tossed into a fictional world of bloody evolution. Now I have to deal with scheming criminals, teenagers with superpowers and terrorists. Talk about luck huh? (Rated M for Mature Themes, Violence, Death and all that other good stuff.)
1. Origins

Chapter 1: Origins

 ** _AN: So to my new readers hi there! To the old ones, welcome back! To those of you who just started reading this story, this is a rewrite of a previous story I had begun sometime last year. Unfortunately that story kinda died out, and from the ashes of that one came this little gem._**

 ** _Also, before I forget to mention, the concept of an Outsider was made by fellow author Dis Lexic, who gave me permission awhlie ago to do this. If you want more news, check out my profile. A quick warning, you will see references and cliches galore in this story, so bear that in mind when you read. Enjoy!_**

* * *

 _When I was younger, I used to believe in heroes. Honestly, what kid wouldn't? Only problem was that when I tried to be a hero, I ended up dying. I should probably clarify._

 _My name is Michael. Michael James Galloway, but you can ignore the James part. I grew up in the States, in the city of New York. Not very interesting I know, but it gets better. My parents were Kathrine and James Galloway. Life was good, well as good as it could get. Unfortunately when I was eight, fate decided to throw me a big fuck you because the out of nowhere, Mom got sick. Cancer. After a lot of chemo, she was good, but barely. Then when I was ten, the cancer returned, this time worse than ever. She... she didn't make it._

 _Something... changed after that. I tried to stick with Dad, but the bastard decided to stick with drinking instead of raising his kid. He had started when Mom got sick, and when she got worse he did too. He barely responded to me after she passed. Hell, the best thing I could get out of him was a bottle thrown at me. Last I heard he died in a bar fight, sometime after I turned seventeen. Good riddance._

 _After that, I wandered around. Through my wandering, I discovered something... interesting. A voice in my head. Yeah yeah, joy. I know. Turns out that's the best thing to ever happen to me. I never gave him a name, and he never told me what to call him. He showed up sometime after Mom died, I honestly couldn't remember when to be honest. Other than his first major appearance, which gave me a heart attack, he hardly showed up. When he did however, he made a difference. Eventually thanks to my roommate, I discovered that the world wouldn't care about me unless I made a difference. Unfortunately the first time I tried to make one I ended up dead._

* * *

I was walking down the sidewalk, minding my business. Ah, nothing like a good old fashioned visit to the bar, right? I heard a scream come from the alleyway next to me, and suddenly my night was ruined. I sighed. Should I check this out or simply walk away?

 **'Perhaps that wouldn't be the best idea Michael.'** A voice rang out. Oh great, my annoying roommate finally decides to speak up. Yeah well if you think that's a bad idea, I'm doing it. I heard him simply growl. Yeah yeah, regret and all that good stuff. Let's get this show on the roll.

I walked down the alley, searching for the source of the scream. I found it, coming from two women cornered by a guy with a knife. There we go. Let's see here... oh hey a pipe! I grabbed it, before sneaking up on the guy and slamming it down on his back hard.

"Run!" I yelled to the two women, who thankfully took my advice. Huh, guess I got to be a hero after all. Nice- OW! SON OF A BITCH! I fell back hard, dropping the pipe and holding a wound on my leg. Looks like knife guy was still kicking after all. He grinned down at me.

"Alright asshole, give me your wallet, and I might just make this quick." He said, pointing the knife at me. I nodded.

"I've got a far better offer. Fuck you!" I said, kicking up with my good leg. My aim was true, hitting him right in the nuts. He fell down, and I took the chance crawl over and reach for the discarded pipe. The other guy slolwy got up as well, charging at me. Oh this is going to hurt.

He stabbed forward, and unfortunately I didn't have time to dodge. Oh... that's gonna sting in the morning. Well, might as well try something different. I slammed my head into his, knocking him down. I heard a 'CRUNCH!' when I headbutted him, so that must mean something happened. And now I was dizzy... joy.

Despite my obvious dizziness, I managed to move over to the guy and slammed the pipe down on his head. He fell back with a groan, and like that he was out. I sighed. Well... that went better than I expected. Now all that's left to do is-

"FREEZE!" A voice rang out. Well shit. I turned around, noticing a cop. I waved at them. I realized my mistake when I waved at them with the pipe. Unfortunately my mouth didn't catch up with my brain.

"Hey officer. Don't worry, problems-" I didn't get a chance to finish that sentence when the first shot rang out. A second and third one followed it. I looked down, noticing three red stains slowly forming on my chest. I fell back, darkness slowly overtaking me. 'So... this is what I get for playing hero. Shit.' I thought, finally shutting my eyes.

* * *

 ** _AN: So... love it? Hate it? Please leave tell me what you guys think! I live for the reviews. If you get bored, why not check out some of my other work? Until next time folks, Read, Review and Enjoy!_**


	2. Rebirth

Chapter 2: Rebirth

 _AN: Hello again folks! Thanks for the reviews and favorites! Let's get right on in to the story shall we? Enjoy!_

You know, when I died, I figured I would see the pearly white gates or the fire and brimstone deal right now. I was not expecting to be in an office with a bunch of doors surrounding me. I saw a rather cute brunette passed out on a desk. I hate to wake her up, I really do, but this is starting to get boring. I cleared my throat.

"Excuse me? Miss?" I asked. No response. "Hello?" I tried again. This time I heard a small snore. I sighed, before walking over to the desk and knocking on it. The girl let out a yelp and shot up.

"I wasn't sleeping boss! I swear!" She said, looking around. Then she saw me, and she let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness. You're not Orion. Wait... who are you? What exactly are you doing here?" She asked, inspecting me. I stared at her in return. She looked like she was in her... I'd say early twenties, pale with blue eyes... you know I just realized she has some silver highlights in her hair. Huh. Neat.

That's when I noticed a file on her desk... one with my name and picture on it. I guess she noticed it too, because she opened it and started reading it. Guess she saw something she didn't like, because she paled rapidly. Damn... didn't think anyone could look that pale. She stumbled back, moving to a door behind her. She quickly opened it, still looking at me.

"Uh... boss? We have a problem here!" She called out frantically. I heard a man groan from the door.

"What is it? Scion go nuts again? Or did War get accused of starting the apocalypse again?" He asked tiredly. Scion... where have I heard that name before? Sounds familiar. And War... I don't like where this is going. The girl shook her head.

"Nope. Just... get out here! Please?" She pleaded. I heard the man groan again, before hearing footsteps.

"Look Allison, the last time you called me, it was about a fluke issue. I doubt that this is any dif-" The man cut himself off, staring at me. He looked like he was in his late twenties, with messy brown hair and glowing white eyes without pupils. He gaped as he stared at me. He slowly turned to the now named Allison, who nodded. He slowly went back to staring at me.

"So... what exactly is happening here?" I asked, looking around the room. That broke the damn. The man shrieked and ran back into the other room, slamming the door shut. I looked at Allison. She shrugged helplessly.

"Sorry about that... how about you take a seat? Give Orion some time to cool off." She said, gesturing to... wait when did that chair get here? Ah well. I shrugged and sat down.

"Sure. Got anything to drink?" I asked, looking around. Suddenly a glass appeared in my hand, swirling with alcohol. Now we're talking! I raised the glass. "Much obliged. So what exactly is happening now?" I asked, taking a sip of my drink. Allison chuckled.

"Well for starters... you're dead. Six feet under. Done for. Got that?" She asked. I shrugged. Granted I should be freaking out about this, but I figured I was dead once I got shot.

"So what now? Are you sending me back home or something?" I asked, praying that wasn't the answer. Allison shook her head.

"Nope. You've already been buried, so unless you want to wake up in a coffin and beat your way out of it, that's not on the table. Besides, I doubt you wanted to go back anyway. You were do for a brain hemorrhage in about a few years anyway." She said, opening my file. I sighed in relief... somewhat. Well, that's good... I think. At least I wasn't going to die again... probably. Allison was shaking her head.

"No offense Michael, but your life sucked. Your guardian angel really dropped the ball on this one." She said. Wait what?

"I'm sorry... could you repeat that? Are you saying I have a guardian angel?" I asked quietly. Whoever mine was sucked. If this was their idea of helping, someones going to get hurt. Allison must have noticed the change in attitude, because she blanched.

"Whoa whoa easy there tiger. Your previous one was... let go so to speak. Your new one just recently got you as a... I think the term's supposed to be ward? Yeah, that's right. They were literally selected to be your new angel only a year ago." She assured me. Right... I'm not happy, but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. I nodded.

"Okay, fair enough. So... who exactly is my new... guardian angel?" I asked her. Allison avoided looking me in the eye for a while, trying to think of the answer. I sighed when I finally figured it out.

"It's the idiot that ran away isn't it? Orion?" I asked tiredly. She nodded, giving me a sheepish smile. The door behind her banged open. Speak of the devil... I mean angel. Orion walked through, noticeably calmer this time. He nodded to Allison.

"Could you give us a minute please? Michael and I have a lot to discuss." He said. She nodded, standing up and walking through another door. Orion sat down, massaging his face. We sat there for a good minute, not speaking at all, before he broke the ice.

"Hello Michael... apologies for earlier. I was a bit stressed out, and seeing you here kinda... broke me. But rest assured, I'm fine now." He said, giving me a small smile. "So, onto business. I assume Allison told you the gist of things?" He asked me hopefully. He sighed in relief.

"That's good. Well, let's see... if we can't send you back... we're going to have to send you sideways." He muttered to himself. What.

"Uh... what exactly do you mean by sideways? Also, I'm rather calm about this whole thing. Care to explain why? A normal person would be freaking out right now." I told him. He nodded.

"Fair point. I'll answer the second one first. The room has a natural... calming effect. Once you leave, you'll probably experience a breakdown a few hours later. As for sideways? Well consider today your lucky day my unfortunate ward! You're getting tossed somewhere else!" Orion said with a smile on his face. That's when he pulled out a wheel. Again, what. Suddenly it started to spin. Orion saw my confused look.

"Well, we can't exactly send you back home for rebirth, so we're doing the next best thing! Let's just hope it doesn't land in comics. Mainly because Batman would beat you to a pulp if you tried something in Gotham, and Frank would eat you alive if we sent you to Marvel." He muttered that last part. Oh hell. The wheel started to slow down, and I could see some options. Eden Prime. Reach. The Metro. Brockton Bay. Oh dear god not one of those places please!

Finally after what seemed like hours, but was probably a few seconds, the wheel stopped on a single word: Remnant. Why did that sound so... familiar? Orion looked pleased.

"Well alright then! Good luck buddy!" He said, giving me a wave. Before I could respond, I feel back, darkness overtaking me. This is going to be a regular thing isn't it?

* * *

I woke up in some back alley. I tried to move, but my head felt like it was about to be split open. I stumbled, catching myself. Okay... deep breaths.

"Whoa man, last time I drink." I said, trying to keep myself from falling over. Ah who am I kidding? I'm probably going to get wasted after this. I moved out of the alley, trying to find a noticeable landmark. Only one problem. I wasn't in New York anymore. I looked up at the moon, and I almost had a heart attack. Everything was fine, except for one glaring problem: the moon was BROKEN. Shit. Well, at least I caught up on RWBY when I had the chance. This is going to suck.

 _AN: So, our protagonist has arrived in Remnant. Don't have much to say, so until next time, Read, Review and Enjoy!_


	3. New World

Okay… have to keep calm. Let's do a check on what I have, shall we? Phone? That's going to be worth jack here. My watch? I checked that over… shit. It must have broken during the fight. Well great. Now that that's out of the way, onto my next problem. Identification. I need that for drinks... and cigarettes... and other stuff. Shit I need that in general ya know? That's when I saw a flash of light above me. A note slowly floated down, and I quickly caught it, reading it.

 _Michael_

 _Just realized that I completely forgot to tell you some stuff! My bad! So first off, you're legal...you know what I mean. I have the necessary documents for you to be a resident. They're somewhere safe. Oh, and I also managed to get you a place to stay. It's called Gunslinger Apartments. Ask for room 9A. Just follow the map and you'll be there. Best of luck,_

 _Orion_

Well shit, my day's getting better already. Wait a minute... what map was he talking about? I saw another flash of light, and heard something hit the ground. Oh, there it is! Now, let's see... oh that's convenient, he gave me a 'You are here' icon. Alright, time to find a bed! Or booze... or both.

* * *

Thankfully it didn't take me that long to find the place Orion told me about. I mean, it was pretty obvious considering the place had a neat little symbol consisting of two revolvers over a shield on the door. Neat. I walked in, inspecting the place. It was... quaint. It had a little rustic charm to it. I saw an older man, who looked like he was in his forties, standing behind the counter. He waved at me.

"Come on in." He said, waving me inside. I approached the desk. He stuck out his hand and smiled. "Name's Oliver. I'm the landlord. What can I help you with young man?" He asked me. I shook his hand, chuckling.

"Name's Michael Galloway. I'm here about an apartment a friend of mine loaned me. Apartment 9A?" I asked hopefully. Oliver's eyes widened in recognition.

"So you're the one that nice gentleman told me about. Here you go, the key to the apartment. And don't worry, rent's been paid for the next year or so." He assured me, handing me the key. I pocketed it, nodding.

"Much obliged. So, I'm guessing 9A's on the ninth floor?" I asked. Oliver nodded with a grin. Smirking, I walked away. "Appreciate it. Good night." I said, waving to him as I walked to the elevator. As the doors closed, I let out a sigh. It was barely starting to register that I died. I walked up to my apartment, opening the door.

Hm... it was a nice place, I'll give Orion that. I walked around, inspecting it. Living room looked decent enough, bathroom was nice, the kitchen was stocked. Not bad at all. Well, time to check out the bedroom. I walked over to the last door, opening it. I blinked in surprise at what I saw.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked incredulously, staring at Allison. She was lounging on my bed, a couple of duffel bags and a briefcase next to her. She shrugged.

"Orion was in a bit of a rush to send you away, so he forgot to give you some stuff. Besides it get's boring in that office all day, so I figured that I would deliver this stuff personally." She said, getting out of my bed. She tossed me the briefcase, which I caught. Inside it was a lot of weird looking plastic cards. I looked up at Allison.

"So... I take it this is local currency or something?" I asked her. She nodded.

"This is lien. The money system here works a bit differently than Earth. The basics are that each Earth dollar would be equal to about five lien. In that case is about two hundred and fifty thousand lien." She said casually. I nearly dropped the case in shock. Allison didn't seem to notice my near heart attack, because she kept on going. " Don't worry, that's only about fifty thousand dollars Earth wise. Should last you for a while, but after that you're on your own." She said, looking at me.

I set the case down gently. "Okay... appreciate that. What's in the bags?" I asked her. She walked over to one of them, pulling out something and tossing it to me. I caught it, noticing it was a... jacket?

The material was leather, black in color. It was worn, but not damaged. Two words were embroidered on the back. They were 'Bellum', which was in red, and 'Pacem', which was in blue. Beneath the words was a pair of swords, matching the words in color, one red and one blue. I finally realized what this was. I hadn't seen it in years.

"This is... my mom's jacket. How did you... where did you get this from?" I asked, my throat dry all of the sudden. I was so sure that Mom was buried with this thing, so how was it here?

"We made a replica. Figured that you would like to remember her somehow." Allison said, giving me a small smile. She gave a small yelp when I pulled her into a hug.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." I said, nearly choking on the words. Finally... something that was hers to remember her by. I had pictures, sure, but this... this was something else entirely. Allison patted me on the back.

"No problem Michael. Unfortunately I have to go now." She said, sliding out of my hug. "Someone's got to watch out for Orion. The other bags have necessities, but I would suggest heading out tomorrow." She told me, gesturing to the other bags. She gave me a small wave. "See ya!" She said, smirking. Suddenly she was engulfed in a bright light, and like that she was gone.

I shook my head. All this emotional stuff always got to me. I think it's time for a drink. Or a few...definitely a few. I walked over to the kitchen, inspecting the cabinets. One was graciously stocked full of alcohol. Oh hell yeah.

* * *

 _I woke up with a groan. My head was pounding, my mouth was dry, and I didn't feel like getting up in general. I think I'll just lay here in the grass... wait what? I reluctantly opened my eyes, taking in my surroundings. I was... in a field. What the hell? When did I get here? I heard someone chuckle behind me._

 _ **"Good. You're awake now."** They said. I stood up and turned to see a figure sitting on a rock. It was hard to make out any features whatsoever, mainly due to the fact that they were covered in shadows. The most I could gather was that it was a tall figure, with red glowing eyes. That's when I realized I had heard that voice before._

 _"...Voice? Is... is this you?" I asked, staring at them... no him. He nodded._

 _ **"Yes. It's nice to finally meet you Michael."** He said, rising to his feet. He walked over to me, and I could finally make out something else about him. He was massive. I still couldn't see past the shadows, but I could tell he was taller than me, and that was saying something, considering I stand at about six feet. I held out my hand as he approached me._

 _"Yeah... feelings mutual. Where are we?" I asked, looking around. He chuckled as he shook my hand._

 _ **"The best way to describe this, in layman's terms at least, is that this is your mind. Your subconscious one at least. I figured this would be the best way to talk with you. It's... peaceful. A nice change of pace, wouldn't you agree?"** He asked, gesturing to the field. I had nodded. This was definitely nice._

 _"So... why exactly am I here?" I asked him, taking a seat on the ground. Voice shrugged._

 _ **"Beside's the fact that I wanted to meet you? I've seen that we're not in New York anymore. We're somewhere else entirely. This is a chance for us to take a fresh start. You know that don't you?"** He asked me._

 _"A fresh start? You make it sound like we did something wrong in our last life." I said, grinning. Voice shook his head._

 _ **"I'm not saying that Michael. I'm saying that you had potential, and you threw it all away. Your calling, what you were meant to do, is nearing once more. I just want to ensure that you understand that."** He said, taking a seat next to me._

 _"My 'Calling'? What the hell does that mean?" I asked, looking at him. He was being extremely vague, and it was annoying.. He shook his head._

 _ **"Not yet Michael. Soon."** He said. Fine be that way! I sighed._

 _"Whatever. And just what are you exactly? Who are you?" I asked. He chuckled._

 _ **"What I am is someone who has an interest in how things are going to play out. I've been with you for years, trying to guide you to a better path, a brighter one. As we can see, I failed somewhat in that regard. As for who I am... you can call me Janus."** He said, patting me on the shoulder. Janus? Interesting._

 _I was about to ask another question when I noticed everything fading. Aw hell. Janus sighed._

 _ **"It looks like you'll be waking up soon. I'll try to talk to you more often. Might I suggest meditation for an easier way to contact me fully?"** He said, waving me off._

* * *

I woke up, this time in my bed thankfully. I sat up, wincing a bit as the light hit my eyes. That was a weird dream.

 **'Oh believe me Michael, that was no dream.'** I heard in the back of my mind. Crap, that was real. I shook my head. After making myself breakfast, I pondered on what to do. You know what? I think it's time to explore a bit. I tossed on some clothes, put Mom's jacket on, and walked out the door with a wallet full of lien. Time to see where the hell I am.

 _AN: Hey there guys! Talk about a hell of a start. Michael gets a new home, and meets the mysterious voice. We'll see how things go from there. Until next time, Read, Review and Enjoy!_


	4. Settling In

As soon as I walked out the door I realized something important. First of all, I hadn't taken a shower yet. Second, I was still in my grimy clothes, and my shirt had a bloodstain on it. Shit. I quickly walked back into my apartment, tearing off my shirt. I moved towards the mirror in my bedroom. I can't believe I forgot that I was stabbed. Should have checked this sooner. I gaped at what I saw.

While there was no wound, I was still... different. I mean... damn. I had admittedly some muscle, but I wasn't the most fit per say. Now, it looked like someone had gotten rid of the fat and added to the muscles. I…I didn't even recognize myself. Damn. What the hell happened to me? I saw a flash of light and turned. On my bed was another note.

 _Hey Michael! Sorry, but this is probably going to be a recurring thing. Kinda busy up here, ya know? Allison left, but obviously forgot to mention one of the most vital changes we made: You. You see, if I were to send you into Remnant as you were, you would be paste in an instant. You were... kinda pathetic. Sorry._

 _Anyways, with a little help from yours truly, I... kinda tweaked around with your DNA so that you were essentially stronger, faster, and all around better. While you're not on par with a hunter, you have a better chance at surviving this world in general. Just a heads up, there might be some physical changes. Oh, and also, you have a semblance now. I won't spoil anything, mainly because you have to do some stuff on your own, but it's yours and yours only. Trust me. Sadly no aura, for some reason your soul wasn't compatible so… don't get shot if you can help it._

 _Let's see... oh right! Since you might go stir crazy without something to keep you up to date with the real world, I fixed your phone. It works, but only activates when you want it to. And by the way, the calendar system works a bit differently here. The current year is 80 PGW (Post Great War). I'm sure that's all for now, so good luck out there!_

 _Orion_

Well... I have no words actually. Damn. Suddenly the abs make sense. Well... glad I figured this out now instead of later. I'll worry about the other stuff later. I checked myself over, making sure everything else was alright. My black hair, which was usually at my shoulders, was now cut short. My eyes weren't brown anymore, oddly enough they were bright blue, and they were... glowing would be the right term I think. Yeah, glowing would work. Weird. Other than that nothing else seemed to be out of place, so it looks like I'm good to go. Wait, wait, almost forgot. Time to freshen up.

I moved towards one of the bags Allison left me, and sighed when I noticed it had fresh clothes. I quickly showered and changed into my new clothes and jacket, then I walked out the door, where I accidentally bumped into someone. Literally, somebody ran into me. They yelped, letting go of something and falling back. I quickly moved to catch them, noticing it was a young woman. I steadied her and brought her back to her feet. A book landed next to her. So that's what she dropped.

"Sorry about that. You okay?" I asked, looking at her. She had short brown hair and purple eyes that shined with curiosity. She was about half a foot smaller than me, and was surprisingly light. All in all, she's kinda cute. That's when I noticed she was staring. "Uh... are you alright?" I asked again. She shook her head.

"Wha? Oh... yeah I'm fine. That was my fault, I was reading this book. Those were some good reflexes, how did you manage that? Are you new here at Gunslingers? What's your name? I'm Lily by the way, I live in 9B." She rattled off, sticking out her hand. Oh, bit of a chatterbox? I can deal with that. I smiled and shook her hand.

"In that order: Good to see you're okay. I'm fast. And yes I am. I'm Michael. " I said, silently cursing. I just realized that one of RWBY's main things was names associated with color. Hope she doesn't notice. Lily grinned. Apparently not.

"Nice to meet ya! Always good to see a new face! Oh are you new in Vale?" She asked. I blinked in response. Well that answers one question. Might as well give her an answer.

"Yeah, just got here from Atlas. Is it that obvious?" I asked, smirking and crossing my arms. Lily didn't notice my smirk, instead she was inspecting my clothing.

"Eh... kinda? I mean you have that look like you don't know where you're going. Also you dress a bit different than other people I've seen around here, and your voice sounds a bit different as well." She rattled off again. Then she slumped her shoulders. "And now I'm rambling off again. Scarlet always told me I talked too much. I'm so sorry if I'm annoying-" I cut her off, grabbing her gently by the shoulders.

"Lily right? Deep breath. Relax, okay?" I calmly told her. She did as I instructed, taking a deep breath. I stepped back, letting her go. "Better?" I asked her. She nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks. Uh... sorry about... you know..." She trailed off, gesturing to herself. I chuckled and waved her off.

"Ah don't worry about it. It's actually refreshing, seeing someone with that kind of energy." I said. She sighed in relief.

"Oh thank god. You won't believe how many people walk away when I start talking." She said, rubbing her face sheepishly. Aw, she seems kinda lonely. Now I wanna hang out with her.

 **'Michael? Are you sure that's a good idea?'** I heard Janus mutter. I made sure Lily wasn't looking, then rolled my eyes. 'Come on Janus. She could use a friend. Besides, not like we had many in our old life. I mean look at her.' I told him. **'It's your call. Just don't forget that.'** I heard Janus mutter again. Well at least he isn't totally against the idea. Okay... time to see if she's up for it.

"Hey Lily, since you know Vale better than I do, mind showing me around?" I asked hopefully. Lily straightened up immediately.

"Me? Are... are you sure? I mean, I really don't think I would be good company. Besides, I don't want to bother you or anything." She said, fidgeting a bit. I shook my head.

"No, really I insist. Besides, I could use the company." I assured her, giving her a hopeful grin. I could see the gears grinding in her head, and her eyes were scanning mine, trying to find...something. She saw something good, because her eyes lit up, and she gave me a bright smile. She quickly scooped up the book, grabbed me by the arm and started dragging me to the elevator. I guess I'll play along.

"Awesome! Come on, there's a lot of stuff around this district. First there's the electronics store right down the street..."

* * *

 _Some time later_

"And finally we have this amazing place!" Lily said, gesturing to a small diner we stopped in front of. Huh, I think I made the right call. She really knew her stuff. Thankfully in our little journey I was able to get of a Scroll, and damn was this thing awesome! There were so many different things I could do with this thing. I idly flipped through the settings as Lily dragged me inside the diner. We found a booth, where we ordered some burgers. I took a look around. The diner was a quaint little place, definitely old school compared to some of the stuff I had seen so far.

"So... you come here often?" I asked Lily, who was slurping on a milkshake. She smiled and nodded rapidly.

"Yeah, the owners are always so nice. I usually come by myself or with my friend Scarlet. So what do you think of Vale so far?" She asked me. I shrugged.

"It's...different to say the least. You know a lot about this place. You grow up here?" I asked, taking a sip from my drink. Lily nodded.

"Born and raised. I know this place like the back of my hand! You said you from Atlas right? What do you think of Vale?" She asked me.

"Yeah. Like I mentioned, Vale's a bit different Certainly a lot less... dull." I said. Lily was about to respond when our meals arrived. Damn, I just realized I haven't eaten since I got here. I quickly scarfed down the burger and fries, admittedly a bit faster than I had intended. I smiled sheepishly at her expression.

"Sorry. I haven't eaten all day." I told her. She grinned and nodded.

"I'll say. So now that we have a chance to relax... I uh..." She paused for a minute, trying to gather her thoughts. Well, looks like she's learning. "I just realized I barely know you. Kind of dumb to get food with a complete stranger. Not that you're a total stranger at least." She hastily said. I chuckled. Time to play Twenty Questions it seems.

We kept up a decent conversation from that point. I learned a bit about Lily, like how she was from a family of weapon makers, and that she was one herself. It was...actually pretty cool. Right now she was talking to me about all the mishaps she had gone through working in the forge.

"There was the time Uncle Jack lit himself on fire. Oh and there was the time I accidentally used the wrong materials and smoked up the whole workshop." She continued on. I was trying to keep my laughter low, and damn it was hard not to start howling let me tell you. I was so engrossed in the conversation I didn't notice a woman walking over to us, until she slid into our booth next to Lily.

"Hey Lils, you on a date? If so, I approve." She said, looking at me. I paused for a second, realizing she was a faunus. A wolf faunus specifically. She had blood red hair, glowing amber eyes, red wolf ears on top of her head and a tail swirling behind her. She had a massive smirk on her face and was wrapping an arm around Lily. Speaking of which, Lily glaring at her, smacking the faunus on the shoulder.

"Scarlet! This. Is. Not. A. Date!" Lily growled, each word emphasized by a punch. The now named Scarlet was laughing softly. I was just watching this all happen. I mean, what else can I do? Maybe I should step in... screw it.

"Lily's right. Not a date. She was just showing me around Vale, considering it's my first time here. My name's Michael." I said, sticking out my hand. She shook it. Damn she's got a grip.

"Like Lily mentioned, I'm Scarlet. Scarlet Wolfe." She said. I snorted at her name. Guess she didn't mind, because she chuckled.

"Dad found it funny as well. So, how did you guys meet? Let me guess, Lily wasn't looking where she was going right?" She asked. I chuckled.

"How'd you guess? She was rather focused on this book she was reading." I said, barely noticing Lily was shaking her head rapidly. Scarlet's gaze turned damn near predatory as she looked at Lily.

"Interesting. Did this book happen to have a black cover?" She asked me. I blinked at the question, but nodded. The grin that was on her face grew even larger. "Well well well... I knew you liked my gift! So, how is it so far?" She asked Lily, who was simultaneously stammering excuses and trying to melt into her seat. This was... certainly a change of pace from what I'm used to doing. Is this what Janus meant by a second chance? If so, I'm going to enjoy this.

 _AN: Talk about ending on a happy note! Sorry about the wait folks! I've been trying to write this chapter for days, and I finally managed! I tried to give Michael a few characters he could interact with, so I was curious, how did I do? A quick warning, the action for this story is probably going to take a while to get here, but it will arrive. Until next time, Read, Review and Enjoy!_


	5. Calling

_Log Entry 1_

 _Date: 3/14/80 PGW (Post Great War)_

 _I, for some ungodly reason, have started to get homesick, so Orion gave me something to help. It's a book to write in, something to keep track all this. Orion made it so that only I can read it, security reasons and all that. So here we are, in something we (Janus and I) like to call the Log Book. Why? He insisted it remain at least slightly professional._

 _It's been a month since I arrived on Remnant. It passed way too fast to be honest. In the month that I've been here, I've been busy thankfully, and it's all thanks to Scarlet Wolfe and Lily Jones._

 _Lily's been trying to keep my life interesting as best she could, because apparently after Scarlet I'm her only friend. It's odd really, she's nice enough, even with the nonstop talking. Lily's shown me around Vale a lot, so now I have a… decent understanding of the area. Makes it a hell of a lot easier to get from place to place let me tell you. Not to mention the fact that I've managed to get some more clothes, as well as some basic necessities._

 _Scarlet's been helping me in another way entirely. A week after we met, she introduced me to a gym, where I've been training myself, due to her and Janus' pleas. Scar just didn't want me laying around all day, and J figured that it would be good for my health. Thankfully with my new body, exercising is definitely easier now._

 _When I wasn't hanging out with Lily or Scar, I've been trying to find work. I figured out a couples weeks after I first started training that my funds weren't going to last me forever. Thus the job search began. Couldn't find much unfortunately, but I think I might get lucky soon. Until next time… hopefully._

 _Michael_

I set the pen down with a sigh. This... was actually a pretty good idea. Give's me the opportunity to rant a bit. I closed the Log Book, placing it on a shelf. Dammit, I really need to find a job soon. I quickly went to the closet where I kept the briefcase, the one with the money. While I still had around two hundred thousand lien, it wouldn't last long unfortunately. I was about to reach for the newspaper when I heard a knock at my door. I quickly moved to open it, expecting Lily or Scarlet. Instead I got Allison. She looked the same, except now she was wearing a... suit and fedora? I blinked curiously.

"Uh... hi." I said slowly. She gave me a small wave. That's when I noticed she was looking exhausted, if the bags under her eyes and the way she was slouching were any indications.

"Hey Michael. Mind if I come in?" She asked me, yawning. I shrugged, moving aside. Once she entered, I closed the door, making sure to lock it. Can't be too careful.

"So what's up? Haven't seen you for a while." I said, making my way over to a cabinet. I pulled out a bottle of whiskey and a small glass. "You want one?" I asked, raising the bottle. Allison had set her fedora on the counter and taken a seat on my couch, flipping through channels on my TV.

"Sure. Could use a drink." She said, finally finding a channel she liked. I poured two glasses, and made my way over to her. She took the glass out of my hand, downing it in one gulp.

"Rough day?" I asked, taking a sip from my own glass. Allison groaned.

"Try rough month. I leave for a _week_ on a well deserved vacation, and what happens while I'm gone? Orion had to send three more souls sideways." She said, burying her face in her hands. Wait what?

"Did you just say... more souls? Hold on, there's more people like me?" I asked, gaping at her. Without removing her face from her hands, Allison nodded. I quickly downed my drink. Joy. "So what? You just here to make sure I didn't bite it?" I asked her, grabbing her empty glass and moving over to where I left the bottle of whiskey. She shook her head, finally looking at me.

"Nope. I actually came just to check up on you. How's Remnant doing for you?" She asked me. I shrugged, pouring more drinks.

"It's... different to say the least. The tech's pretty cool, and the people here are certainly..." I paused, looking for the right word. Finally I found it. "Unique... yeah unique's the word I'm looking for. Only one problem though. Nothing major, don't worry." I quickly told her, noticing her right eye starting to twitch. She gestured for me to continue. "So... it came to my attention that my funds won't last forever, so I'm looking for a job. Got any suggestions?" I asked her.

At first, she didn't say anything, looking at the glasses in my hand. I quickly handed her one of them, which she downed quickly. I grabbed the bottle, figuring that she's going to continue to do this. I sat down next to her, setting the bottle in front of her. "Much obliged. As for your question, get back to me on that." She said. She reached for the bottle, before deciding against it, chuckling. "It's funny. We prepared for these kinds of situations for... who knows how many years. When you showed up... it opened the floodgates. With all our training and prep, we were barely ready for one death. Not four, and certainly not at the same time. Now I'm running damage control everywhere, and even then I still manage to screw it all up." She ranted, leaning back against the seat tiredly.

I didn't say anything. I mean honestly, what could I say? That's when I noticed she was shaking. Oh please don't tell me... yep she's crying. Well shit. I honestly have no idea what to do. Never really was an emotional person, as sad as that may be. I guess I could try. I moved over to the couch, pulling her into a hug. She immediately latched on, and I could feel my bones groan in protest. Damn she's strong. I think I'll just let her be like this for a bit. She definitely sounded like she could use this.

We stayed like this for a while. I... attempted to comfort her, but I honestly thought it was a weak try on my part. Finally Allison managed to pull herself together. She moved away from me, taking out a handkerchief and clearing the tears on her face. She shook her head and cleared her throat, looking at me. "Thanks. Sorry you had to see that." She told me. I shrugged.

"It's no problem. Everyone needs a good cry every once and a while. You're only... I would say human but I'm not entirely sure." I said, putting the bottle of alcohol back in it's cabinet. Allison chuckled.

"Let's go with human." She said with a smile. She pulled out a pocket watch and cursed. "Sorry. I have to go. Duty calls. See ya later Michael." She said, giving me a small wave. A burst of light flashed around her, blinding me slightly, and like that she was gone. Damn, talk about making an exit. I was about to open my door when I felt the hairs on my neck stand up. It felt as though I was being watched.

"That was a good thing you did for her." A voice rang out behind me. I jumped slightly, reaching for a kitchen knife on the counter top and turning around. Standing before me was... Orion?

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked, setting the knife down. Orion gestured for me to sit. I did, eyeing him curiously.

"Good reflexes there Michael. Really good. As for what I'm doing here? I was checking up on Allison." He told me. He sighed. "It seems that... In my attempts to make things better, I've made work harder for her." He said, leaning back. Wait... am I stuck with shrink duty for a couple of guardian angels? Cause it sure seems that way. Screw it, they saved my life, might as well humor them. "Do you know what the hardest part of my job is Michael?" Orion suddenly asked me.

I shook my head. "Nope, but I've got a feeling you're about to tell me." I said, kicking my feet back.

Orion grinned slightly. "Cheeky." He said. Then the grin faded. "The hardest thing about my job... is watching so much happen, and having the ability to do... next to nothing about it. Take for example this world." He said, gesturing around us. "This world reached a tipping point. One that messed with the balance. The balance between light and dark. Good and Evil. I've had to watch as countless futures took place for Remnant for so long. Ones where the good guys won at great costs, ones where Salem was able to take away... everything. But now? With you here, that changes everything. Because you see, you're an anomaly." He said, pointing at me. "With you here, the future of Remnant is clouded. Anything can and will happen. I don't know what will. And you know what? I'm happy because of it." He said.

I shook my head. "What makes you think I want to make any major differences? That I want to get involved in what's going to happen?" I asked Orion. He chuckled.

"Can you honestly tell me that you won't try and change anything at all? If that's the case then go right ahead. I can't and won't stop you. Just remember, you don't just have to think about the show. You have to worry about the bigger picture." He said, gesturing towards my TV. I turned towards it, immediately regretting my decision. It was on a news channel.

 _"In other news, a police officer was murdered in his home last night, and the vigilante known as Oracle was seen fleeing the scene. Oracle has been credited with taking down some of the more violent gangs in Vale, including The Chosen, who were responsible for more than three dozen violent attacks on faunus. Despite his impressive track record, many are beginning to wonder if Oracle is finally showing his true colors after this incident. More of this at five."_ The news anchor said.

Vigilante? That doesn't sound right. Figured my arrival here would make some changes, but nothing like this. I shook my head, deciding to focus on the picture behind the news anchor, which apparently showed the vigilante.

While it was fuzzy, I could make out some details. Oracle wore all black, from the hood that concealed his head to the armor he wore. Sadly I couldn't make out many more details, but from what I could see it was some pretty advanced stuff.

"Well isn't that interesting? This might be good for you." Orion said. Wait what?

"How exactly is this interesting for me?" I asked him. He didn't say anything, instead merely pulling out a card and handing it to me, alongside a key. I read the card aloud.

"Morningstar Investigations?" I looked at Orion. "I'm sorry, but what exactly does this have to do with..." I stopped suddenly, realizing where he was going with this. "Oh hell no." I said, glaring at the now smug Orion. He shrugged.

"What? You said you needed a job, so there. Problem solved." He said, gesturing to the card. I snorted.

"Sure, only a few problems about this. One, I'm not going after a possibly lethal vigilante, and two, I ain't exactly qualified you know? I'm a college dropout for god's sake!" I reminded him. Orion snapped his fingers.

"That's what I forgot! Thanks for reminding me buddy!" He said, pulling out a paper. "This is your Associates Degree in Criminal Justice. Should lead you on the right track." He said, handing it to me. Is... is he serious right now?

"You... do know that just giving me this doesn't make me qualified right?" I slowly asked him. Orion looked confused for a moment, before facepalming.

"Right, forgot about that as well. Damn I'm getting old." He muttered, walking over to me. Wait a minute, how old is he exactly? Before I could ask him that, he slapped me across the face hard.

"OW SON OF A BITCH! What the hell was that for?" I asked, clutching the left side of my face. Suddenly my head felt like it was being split open, and I fell to my knees, seeing flashes. I... remember all the long hours I lost studying law, police systems and the like. The days on end trying to meet deadlines. The court cases I witnessed. The rage I felt witnessing rigged cases, with nothing I could do. I remember gazing out to the crowd as I got my diploma. Suddenly the flashes stopped. I opened my eyes, realizing I was on the floor. Orion stared down at me, a look of concern on his face. "What... the hell... was that?" I rasped out. Orion pulled me up.

"Sorry about that. Didn't expect you to react like that. Basically I kinda... crammed the knowledge into your skull. I used a technique from upstairs that helps us learn new information. It doesn't affect us that badly, but apparently it had some side effects for regular people. Again, sorry about that." He said, sheepishly rubbing his head. I scowled.

"You don't say?" I snarled, feeling extremely pissed at him for doing that without my permission. I sighed when I saw him start to sulk. "Well, not gonna lie. As much as I hate to admit it, you did try and help me. Guess I'm going to be a private eye." I said, a smirk forming on my face. Orion perked up when he heard that.

"Great! The address for your building is on your card." He told me. Suddenly he pulled out a pocket watch and yelped. "Crap. Sorry, have to go! One of the others need my help. Good luck Mike" He rattled off, before disappearing in a stream of light. Huh. I looked down at the card, quickly reading the address. 2634 Tower Street. That was literally down the street. Well at least that makes getting to work easier. I was about to head off when I noticed two briefcases on the floor. The hell? On the top of one was a note with my name on it. I quickly read it.

 _Hey Michael!_

 _Sorry I had to cut off there, duty calls and all that, but I decided to leave you a little parting gift. Consider it an 'I'm sorry for nearly frying your brain in an attempt to help you' gift. Oh and you should probably check this one first._

 _Orion_

I chuckled, tossing the note aside and opening the first briefcase. Inside it was a... whoa. It was a gun, a pistol to be specific, but not just any pistol. The slide was black, with a yellow coating in the center, along with the words Zenith stenciled in black. There was what looked to be a suppressor on the barrel, along with a little black box on the side. The grip was comfortable in my hands, something I was thankful for. I noticed something else inside the briefcase. It was a... pamphlet? Yep, pamphlet. I pulled it out and started reading it.

 _The Zenith ZAP_

 _This weapon is a single shot, non lethal firearm built on a CA-40 10mm frame (receiver). It fires high-density electroshock darts that render targets unconscious._

Below that description was some pictures of the gun in action, along with some rather impressive looking writing that looked to be added on.

 _Hey Mike. I saw that Orion was going to send this to you earlier, so I made a few adjustments to the gun for your sake. First off, I changed the inner workings for it to be semi auto. Figured it'd be a pain to load this thing constantly. Fire rate aside, the gun is completely silent, so you can fire it as much as you want. Quick thing however, the projectiles will still make a noise if they hit say... a wall or something, so keep that in mind. Speaking of which, the ammo I gave you should last you a while. That s_ _hould be everything. Good luck._

 _Allison_

Huh. She customized this for me? That's sweet. I looked inside the briefcase, discovering a shoulder holster. Nice. Checking, I noticed that it was loaded. Well that makes things easier. I strapped it on, then I quickly checked out the next briefcase. Inside was about ten boxes, each box holding about fifty darts. Well... this is certainly going to be useful down the line. I hid both briefcases in my closet, then moved to put my jacket on. Time to check out the office.

* * *

I looked up from the card, facing a small building all on it's own. 'Morningstar Investigations' was up in a big neon sign, alongside a shield which had to be the logo. I walked up to the door, unlocking it. The inside was... actually not that bad. All the furniture was well kept, and the place was clean enough. On my right was a couch, on the left was a fridge, and in the middle stood my area. A desk, which looked like the one I had seen in Purgatory, was set up, as well as a terminal and a phone. Behind it was a filing cabinet, alongside a... coat rack? Huh, weird. I walked over to the terminal, inspecting it.

It's funny, in all the time I've spent in Remnant, I've never actually used a terminal. Well better late than never. I pressed what looked like the power button, and the screen lit up. A few tabs were open, all of which gave me some pretty big hints as to what I had on hand. A few links to missing persons cases, a few stolen items, small time stuff. I guess it was a start. As much as I hate to say it, looks like I found a job. I let out a sigh.

 _'So Janus, is this what you meant by calling?'_ I asked him, hoping I heard an answer. We hadn't spoken much in the last month, so I was starting to have doubts he was there. Thankfully my doubts vanished right away.

 **'Not entirely like this, but it's certainly a start. Does it feel right?'** He asked me. I nodded. Yeah, yeah it did.

The phone rang, and I reached out to grab it. I hesitated for a second, before answering.

"Morningstar Investigations, how can I help you?" I said. And so it began.

 _AN: So... damn. This chapter was eating me up, and I've been constantly rewriting it. Not sure how I did, but if you guys could tell me I'd appreciate it. Don't got much else to say, but Read, Review and Enjoy!_


	6. Complications

_Log Entry 2_

 _Date: 5/14/80 PGW_

 _It's been a few months since I started up Morningstar Investigations, and much to my relief, business is going great. I started with small stuff, like lost items and missing objects, until VPD came rolling in. Apparently they needed an outside source to help them out with a missing person's case, and for some reason I was recommended. Orion probably had a hand in it, but who am I to complain? Long story short, we found the missing person, one Issac White, after the poor bastard got lost camping. Suffice to say I managed to make a few friends after that case, including one Detective Midas Gould._

 _Midas was an interesting man to say the least. He was a by the books detective, sure, but one thing in particular made him lose his cool: Oracle. Apparently the two worked together quite a bit on a few cases, including the one that took down The Chosen._ _Now that Oracle's the main suspect in the murder of a police officer, Midas is hellbent on bringing him in. Might help him with that later, but only if it's necessary._

 _I think the last thing that comes to mind is this latest case. Something about a stolen heirloom. It was my usual gig, but something felt... off about this one. Going to think it over while I study the case files. Until next time_

 _Michael._

 _( **Addendum: Discover more about the Chosen. Due to Michael's connections to Scarlet, the fact that they targeted faunus is... concerning to say the least. Need more information before anything else. Also, must discover more about Oracle's exploits, the ones noted that occurred before our arrival to Remnant. In particular the events surrounding the Chosen. Could give us more insight into the vigilante's state of mind.**_ _ **Janus)**_

* * *

 _When I sleep, I usually dream of Mom, and her last days. This time was different than most. While my other dreams were precise, this one was… erratic._

 _Flashes of silver appeared, blood pooling everywhere. I could make out two figures, one falling backwards. Finally one was left standing, gazing at something._

 _A voice echoed. I heard some of what they said, but not everything. Bits and pieces at most._

" _It'll be…. Father… do it too." A man spoke. I heard a scream, one full of defiance and acceptance. Then a light flashed._

* * *

I shot awake, tossing some files into the air. I looked around. I wasn't home. I was still in the office. That dream... was extremely off. 'J? You know what that was?' I asked him. I heard a rumble, as if he was trying to think.

 **'I'm... not sure. It seemed familiar... but I can't be sure. I'll see what I can find.'** Janus said, his presences fading. You know, come to think of it, J has started to appear a lot more lately. I guess that meditation really helped out. Huh, that's something to think about. I suddenly heard knocking at my door. I noticed the state of the room and cursed.

"One minute!" I called out, picking up papers and fixing up the place. I should really get an assistant once I start getting a decent flow of cash. Once I finished cleaning up, I opened the door, coming face to face with Scarlet.

"Hey Scar! What're you doing here?" I asked, backing up to let her in. She shrugged.

"Oh we were in the neighborhood, just wanted to stop by and see how you were bumming out. You've been spending a lot of time here." She said, casting me a concerned look. I sighed.

"Yeah, I know. Wait... what exactly do you mean by we?" I asked her. Scarlet looked confused for a moment, before facepalming.

"I never mentioned her to you." She muttered to herself. Her? She stepped aside, allowing me to see the person standing behind her. Oh. It was a young faunus girl, with blood red hair, wolf ears, and a tail. Bright amber eyes met mine, shining with curiosity. Let me guess... "Mike, this is my little sister, Marion. She prefers Mari." Scarlet said, ruffling her sister's hair. Well... isn't this a surprise? I knelt down a bit in front of Mari, because honestly I towered over her, and stuck out my hand.

"Hi! Nice to meet you. I'm Michael." I say, trying to break the ice. Suddenly she started talking so fast that Lily would have had trouble keeping up.

"Nice to meet you too! Wow you're really tall! I've heard a lot about you. Scarlet talks about you a lot. Especially when she comes back from the-" She quickly got cut off by a... blushing Scarlet? Huh.. I've never seen her blush before. Huh. Well, whatever that was, I wouldn't pry.

"So, introductions aside, how're you doing?" I asked her, idly picking up more random files. Honestly, how much was tossed up when I woke up. Scarlet shrugged.

"Oh... so so. Just trying to live ya know? School's been killing me." She said, groaning. Ah yes, school. The bane of everyone's existence, besides paperwork.

"Hey, you were the one who wanted to be a doctor. Not my fault you didn't think about it." I said, moving over to the fridge and taking out a bottle of beer. I waved it over to Scarlet. "You want one?" I asked her. She shook her head.

"No thanks, I'm driving." She said, moving over to stop Mari from knocking over some stuff I had collected over the course of the last few months. Heh, kid was certainly a curious one. I opened my beer and was about to take a sip when my terminal pinged. I sighed, setting down the beer. Ah well. Scarlet raised an eyebrow. "The heck was that?" She asked me. I pointed at my terminal.

"I had it set up for one of my cases. Something must have come up." I said, walking over and checking it. Hmm... let's see here. An email? Looks like someone found a lead on my case. Black market deal? Small, fist sized ruby? Huh, could be the thing I'm looking for. I looked over at my current file. Sadly all it had was a note, from a rather mysterious note.

 _Hello there Mr. Galloway. While this may seem unorthodox, I wish to remain anonymous. The item missing is something of an heirloom. It was stolen about a day ago, after thieves broke into my house. To keep it brief, the item in question is an amulet, housing a large red gem. If you manage to find it, leave it in a briefcase at 3521 Bane Street, next to a white bench, from twelve to one thirty in the afternoon. You will receive payment once the job is complete._

Like I said, mysterious. But hey, who doesn't like a mystery? I turned to Scarlet and shrugged sheepishly.

"Sorry Scar, but duty calls. Maybe we can meet up later?" I asked her. She nodded, moving over to Mari.

"Sure Mike. Don't be a stranger!" She said, taking Mari and going out the door. Before they left, I called out to them.

"Hey! In case you guys need a hand!" I said, tossing them a card. Scarlet caught it, reading it. She chuckled and looked at me.

"Ego much Mike?" She asked, pocketing the card. I shrugged.

"What? I'm a decent enough detective. I also do handyman work." I said, giving her a wink. She smirked, Mari gave me a small wave, and like that they were gone.

Once the door closed, I went over to my phone, dialing a number. Nothing. Oh hell. I dialed again, hoping for an answer. Finally someone picked up.

"Hello?" They asked, sounding rather tired.

"Hey Midas. Just got your email. What's happening?" I asked him. He chuckled.

"Good response time. Come on down to the station. It's... a little big." Midas said, hanging up. Right. I grabbed my jacket, making sure my gun was on me, and like that I was out the door.

* * *

The police station was all in all like one from Earth. Unfortunately there was a much longer line than expected. Thankfully all I had to do was flash a badge Midas had given me and I was set. Making my way over, I could see Midas hard at work. His clothes were rather ruffled, his normally combed black hair was a mess, and he had bags forming under his eyes. All in all, he'd seen better days. He eyes lit up when he saw me.

"Michael! Glad you could make it." He said, approaching me. I shook his hand and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world Midas. What've you got?" I asked him, looking over at his terminal. He chuckled.

"Straight to business then. I did some digging, found out that a deal's going down for a large red gem, wrapped in a gold chain. Sound familiar?" He asked me, typing something into his terminal. Instantly the screen showed two pictures, both showing what looked to be the same man, with slight differences. Both were rather pale, with short brown hair, sunken faces, and matching tattoos of what looked like a lighting bolt over their left eyes. Both were seemed to be glaring back at me.

"And who exactly are these guys?" I asked Midas. He scoffed.

"Felix and Elec Jones. Small time crooks, responsible for a few cases of burglary and armed robbery. Haven't seen these guys for a long time. Anonymous tip came in about these two. Something about them fencing something heavy, a fist sized gem worth a fortune." He told me. Well well, this is getting good.

"You have a location?" I asked him. He shrugged, typing in something else.

"Normally it'd be against procedure to give out an address without just cause, but seeing as how I left my desk for some coffee, I can't be at fault for that. It'd be a shame, but I heard these guys have had it coming. Word of advice, if you do find anything, check it out late. Might find something." He said, standing up. "Catch ya later Mike." He said, walking away.

On his terminal, a screen popped up. The words 'Last Known Location' blared on the screen. 1041 Spring Street, Wanderer's Cove. Spring Street... that's a good twenty minutes from here. I looked up Wanderer's Cove. Damn. The place screamed 'Seedy Underworld'. A popular hang out for less than desirable people. Well, looks like a decent lead to me. I left Midas' desk, and walked out of the station. Time to see what I can find.

* * *

I arrived at Spring Street around 7, and it was starting to get dark. I was wearing my jacket, along with a simple blue button up and jeans. My dart gun was holstered, and ready to be brought up at a moments notice. Checking to see if anyone was around, I made my way to the Cove. Hmm... lights were off. Not good.

I walked over to the door, opening it. Instantly I was hit with a horrible smell. Oh man that was foul. I walked in, searching for a light switch. Please let me be wrong about what that smell is. Finding a switch, I turned on the lights. Oh god... I was right.

All around me were bodies, at least some were. Pieces of gore were splayed everywhere, the walls coated with blood. Sitting on the decimated bar was the heads of the Jones brothers. Well... shit. I resisted the urge to puke as I slowly back away. Suddenly the door slammed behind me. I ripped out my gun and turned. Nothing. That's when I heard it. The cackling, as well as a voice.

"Not bad work, eh?" I heard a man say. Following the voice, I saw a figure leaning against a railing above the bar.

It was a man leering down at me. He had blue eyes that gleamed with madness, brown messy hair that fell to his shoulders, and a maniacal grin on his face. He wore a brown duster, along with a green shirt and black jeans. In his left hand, he held a revolver with a blade under the barrel. I aimed my gun at him.

"Who... who the hell are you?" I asked, my finger tightening around the trigger. The man chuckled, twirling the revolver in his hand.

"Me? Oh how rude, I never introduced myself did I? The names Danton Reed. A pleasure." He said, giving a bow. I looked around at the carnage. Guess I know who's responsible. I had to know, however.

"Why?" I asked, continuing to look around. Reed looked around, almost bored.

"Why? Because they ripped me off. Oh! Would you like to see what I found here? It's really beautiful." He said, digging into a pocket and pulling out an... amulet? A large ruby, wrapped in gold. Suddenly my mind felt like it was on fire. I screamed, dropping my gun and clutching my head. I fell back, still screaming. Something... clawed at the back of my mind. I couldn't describe it, but IT. JUST. WOULDN'T. STOP. Suddenly the pain was gone, like it was never there.

I slowly stood up, trying to regain my balance. I looked up to see Reed had vanished. That's when I heard something creaking next to me. Oh shit. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him. He charged, suddenly slowing down for some reason. I turned, ducking under a wild swing. That's when I realized, he hadn't slowed down. I had sped up.

What the hell? Suddenly, time seemed to have caught up, and Reed's fist struck, smashing into the wall next to me. I did the only thing I could. I punched him in the face. He was shocked, mainly due to the fact that I seemed to have somehow dodged his attack. Stumbling back from the punch, I could see him grinning. Suddenly, something flashed around his body. Shit. Aura.

"Been a long time since someone put up a fight. This is gonna be fun!" He said, charging at me. I punched at him again, with him flinching back this time. Somehow he was still struck, and he was sent flying back. What the...? I saw something forming in the area where Reed was. It was... a fist? Yep. It was a fist. Well... guess I found out my semblance. Guess I should see what else it can do.

Unfortunately, I wasn't paying attention and Reed struck again, sending me flying. I hit the wall, hard enough that the force dislocated my shoulder. As I fell to the ground, my head struck the wood floor, and like that I was out.

* * *

(Third Person POV)

Danton Reed was a simple guy. He did what he told to do for a job, and if he wasn't told to do anything, he did what he wanted. Being a former hunter really helped out in that regard.

He had come back to Vale for a few reasons, namely a job. After that job was done, Danton was a bit lost. That is however, until he discovered that some ammo he had bought were fakes. Now, he really couldn't let that pass, could he? It didn't take much to track down the Jones brothers, they were 'free men' after all. Killing them was no fun, mainly due to the lack of challenge. What would have been fun however, was giving the police a 'tip' about the Jones brothers, and waiting for them to arrive.

Unfortunately for Danton, it was only one man. I mean, he looked like a decent challenge, so there was that. Danton did his whole little introduction, the usual. It didn't really get interesting however, until he brought out that weird... gem thing. One minute the guy was fine, the next 'BAM!' Instant pain. Whatever happened, Danton approved.

Figuring the guy would be an easy target, Danton moved to the ground floor, where he struck. Imagine his surprise when the guy suddenly got up and dodged his attack! He even got a hit in, which was an achievement all on it's own really. After getting struck by an invisible fist, Danton figured he was dealing with a hunter, so he stopped holding back. Again with the surprise when the guy didn't have an aura, and was sent flying back. He could hear the shoulder pop, and saw how he impacted the floor. There was no getting up from that. Danton walked over to the unconscious man, slowly pulling out the gem.

"What about this made you feel that pain? It was... odd to say the least." He murmured, gazing at the prone form. Suddenly, the man's unhindered arm shot up, clutching Danton by the throat.

'Oho! Now this is getting interesting!' Danton thought, looking down at the guy holding him. Huh... he seemed a bit... off. Well, beside's the fact that his previously blue eyes were now glowing red, he had this almost... feral smirk on his face. That's when Danton noticed there seemed to

 **"That... thing. What was that? How... am I here?"** He murmured to himself. His voice echoed, as if two people were speaking.

'Wait what?' Danton thought. Before he could respond, the guy threw Danton across the room, slamming him through a wall. Danton groggily got up, noticing the guy approaching him. He brought up his injured shoulder, setting it back into place with a quick punch. He charged at Danton, bringing out a knife. Danton laughed.

"Now we're talking! Show me what you've got." He said, bringing up his revolver. Danton fired once, aiming for the guy's chest. He nimbly dodged the bullet, bring up the knife. It nicked Danton's face, but thankfully his aura was still active, so he was able to shrug it off. Another punch came, one with a lot more force this time. Unfortunately it caught Danton off guard, and sent him flying through the wall, smashing it and whatever was behind it.

Danton stood up once more, clutching a now bloody nose. He gave a feral grin at the man.

"Blood... now we're talking." He muttered. Flicking his wrist, Danton's revolver transformed, the blade under the gun extending, the hilt moving, and the barrel of the gun integrating into the blade. In his hand, Danton held a fully formed sword, aiming it at the guy. He charged forward, slicing at the man's midsection, only for the guy to dodge out of the way last second, stabbing the knife into Danton's shoulder. Danton reacted too slowly, and the knife pierced, but just barely.

'Alright, this is just getting old.' Danton thought, pulling the trigger on his weapon. It fired, nicking the guy in the arm. That's when Danton struck. He flung his sword at the guy, who dodged it, only to get hit in the face by a punch, then another. 'Enough play time.' Danton thought, charging forward. The guy threw a wild punch, which Danton caught. Slamming his arm downward, Danton snapped the other guy's arm, getting a cry of pain.

'Finally, something out of this guy!' Danton thought gleefully, slamming his hands onto either side of the guys head, stunning him. Danton then moved, unleashing unto the guy's chest punch after punch, drawing blood. Danton finally stopped his assault when he noticed a pressure where his gut was. Looking down, he saw the handle of a knife sticking out of him. Danton looked up at the dazed, bleeding and smirking man.

"Well played." Danton said, grabbing the guy by the head and slamming him into an aura enforced headbutt. Danton continued his assault by grabbing the guy by the shoulders, twisting and slamming him into the bar with a resounding 'CRACK!' Danton turned and noticed the guy reaching for him. He kicked the guy in the face, hard. Finally the guy stopped struggling.

"Now that he's done for..." Danton muttered, ripping the knife in him out. He cleaned it off. "Heh, not bad. Shame you have to die. Had some potential kid, you really did." He said, flipping the knife in his hand. Danton got down on a knee and grabbed the guy by the throat, bringing the knife out. He was about to bring the knife down when something clamped down on his wrist. Danton looked up at the thing on his wrist, recognizing it.

"Aw shit." He said, right before the thing beeped, forcing a wave of electricity to course throughout Danton's body. The force of the electricity, along with a little something else sent Danton flying. Shaking off the attack, Danton tore off the device, before looking up and dodging a knife aimed at his head. Danton chuckled as he heard a thud above him. "Well well, took you long enough to get here." He said, looking up at the source of the thud.

A figure cloaked in black, whose features were shielded by a purple opaque helmet, glared down at him. _**"Reed."**_ The figure growled, jumping down and landing on the bar. Danton laughed.

"What? Jealous that I'm fighting someone else? Aww... I'm touched." He said, tearing the device off his arm. He moved his head out of the way of another knife thrown at him, bringing up his own weapon. The figure brought up a rifle, aiming it at Danton's head.

 _ **"Don't even think about it. This gun is capable of going through Deathstalker armor. An ex hunter's aura would be a cakewalk."**_ The figure said, their finger tightening on the trigger. Danton nodded.

"That's a fair point. My bullet wouldn't do jack against you. Now him on the other hand? That's a different story." He said, aiming his gun at the unconscious guy next to them. The figure faltered, the grip on their rifle loosening. Danton smirked. "Oh yeah, I know all about your thing of 'saving people'. Now tell me, do you really want to have the blood of another person on your hands? Last I heard, people are blaming you for Officer Mick's death." He said, slowly backing up. The figure followed his movements, waiting. Finally he raised the rifle, away from Danton. He smirked.

"Good boy. For being such a good sport, here." He said, tossing the gem to the figure. Danton knew that the figure was going to say something, but before anything else happened, the doors behind them slammed open, revealing another man.

"Police! Hold it right there!" He shouted, aiming a gun at them. Danton sighed.

"Talk about a buzzkill. Well, I'm off. People to kill, places to raze. Better luck next time Oracle!" He said with a grin, speeding off past the new guy. Oracle cursed.

' ** _Dammit. Not again.'_** He thought, looking to where Danton had been. He then brought his attention to the man who had just entered. **_"Hello Midas."_** He said, holstering his rifle. Midas continued to aim his gun. _**"Could you please put the gun down?"**_ Oracle asked. Midas growled.

"Like hell I am. Who the fuck was that? And what did you do to Michael?" He asked, pointing at the unconscious man. Oracle shook his head.

 _ **"I didn't do anything. I just arrived to find Michael here getting beaten within an inch of his life. Thankfully I managed to stop Reed before he could finish it."**_ Oracle said, hopping down from the bar. Oracle looked at the gun still pointing at him. _**"I didn't kill Officer Mick. It was Danton Reed, the man you just saw."**_ Oracle told him. Midas looked conflicted for a moment, and that was all Oracle needed. He charged, slamming Midas into the ground.

 _ **"I'm sorry."**_ Oracle muttered, before vanishing into the night. Midas stood up groggily, looking around. He stopped his search when he heard a groan.

"Shit! Michael!" He said, running over to the broken body of his friend. "Come on man stay with me!" He said, trying to stabilize him. Midas pulled out his scroll, dialing a number. "This is Detective Midas Gould, Badge Number 1783, I need an ambulance now! Subject is in critical condition! Location is 1041 Spring Street, Wanderer's Cove." He said, tossing the scroll to the side. He checked Michael for a pulse, before sighing. It was there, but barely. 'Dammit, what the hell happened here?' Midas thought, finally noticing the carnage around him. 'This... isn't good.' He thought, noticing how silent everything was. The only noise Midas could hear was Michael's labored breathing. "What the hell have you gotten yourself into Mike?" He asked his unconscious friend.

 _AN: What indeed? So, what did you guys think? Sorry for the wait, school and all that. Hope you guys enjoyed! Until next time, Read, Review and Enjoy!_


	7. Aftermath

_I slowly woke up, groaning. Damn, I feel like I was hit by a train. 'What the hell happened?' I thought, clutching my head._

 _"We got our asses kicked is what happened." I heard Janus say. I opened my eyes, noticing Janus sitting on a stump. I got up, much to my bodies protest. We were back in the fields. I could tell that despite Janus' little thing with the shadows, he had seen better days._

 _He was holding his arm in a way that indicated it was broken. He was favoring one side, and his breathing was a bit labored._

 _I looked down at myself. I wasn't faring much better. I saw that I had suffered the same injuries. Finally it came back to me. Reed. The gem. The pain. Then nothing._

 _"So... how'd we get this? I just remember hitting the wall." I said, gesturing to our arms. Janus chuckled._

 _"I... took the reigns. Didn't help much unfortunately." He said, rubbing his head. Huh._

 _"Didn't know you could do that. Anything else you can do?" I asked. Janus shrugged._

 _"In time, we shall see. Let's just focus on the matter at hand. We did make Reed bleed if it's any consolation. He's wary of us, so it should give us an edge when we go after him." He said, adjusting his injured arm. Wait what?_

 _"Oh hell no! We ain't going after that psychopath! You saw what he did to us, and how fast it happened! If we go after him we're-" I got cut off as Janus slapped me._

 _"THIS ISN'T JUST A CHOICE ANYMORE!" He roared, stepping up right into my face. "We lost that option when we took the job. I told you... I told you that it was trouble. Now? We reap what we sow. Danton knows what we look like! He obviously doesn't care who he hurts, so what happens if he targets your friends?" He said, taking a step back. I sneered at him._

 _"You don't know that." I said, my voice wavering. Janus chuckled darkly._

 _"Are you willing to bet on the lives of Lily, Scarlet and Mari on that hope?" He asked me, looking me straight in the eyes. He wants to play it like that? Really?_

 _"And what exactly do you propose? Charge head first in the next time he's seen?" I asked, rolling my eyes. Janus scoffed._

 _"Of course not. We train. Well more like YOU train, with me." He said, pointing at me._

 _"You? Train me? What exactly can you do?" I asked, turning around, my back towards him. That's when I felt the blade at my neck._

 _"I assure you Michael, there's a lot you don't know about me. Let's just say some old memories came back. Now you can lay down and die, or use the power given to you. What is your choice?" Janus asked me. I turned slightly, glancing down at the sword. It looked like a longsword. That raised a few questions. The biggest question however, was:_

 _"Where the fuck did you get that?" I asked, pushing the blade away. Janus chuckled._

 _"This is your subconscious, a rather unique one at that. Is it not true that in certain dreams, you can control what happens? The same rules apply, but better. Your choice?" He asked, reiterating the question._

 _I sighed, chuckling slightly as some old memories came back. "What was it you said... when you first appeared? Something about power right? Considering where we are now and how we're doing at the moment, we're going to need a lot of it." I said, turning to face Janus. This was going to suck, but I was willing to do anything to protect my friends. "Where do we start?" I asked. Even though I couldn't see it, I could tell Janus was smiling._

 _"Excellent decision. We start now." He said, snapping his fingers. Suddenly his somewhat broken body healed, looking how it did originally. I looked down at myself, noticing I had gotten the same treatment. Janus noticed my staring. "Your mind heals faster than your body. Consider this the first lesson. Mind over matter. Your mind is the most powerful weapon at your disposal." He said, raising his hand. The grassy plains we were in shifted, the world forming into an array of stars, all of them forming constellations._

 _"What... what is all of this?" I asked in awe, studying the constellations. Janus chuckled._

 _"Choices. I can teach you much, but not everything I know. You will have to choose a few options only. Go on, see what's available. You have all the time in the world." He said, waving at the choices. I could see... so many. Ranged weapons, bladed weapons, blunt weapons, you get the point. I stared, trying to figure out what to choose. Only problem was I had to think realistic. I couldn't just pick say... a spear or halberd. Had to be something I could easily get my hands on. Finally after what seemed an eternity, I made a decision._

 _"Swords and Daggers. They're the most common things, so that means they'll be the most available. Think you can manage?" I asked him. Janus hummed._

 _"Really? Just how to fight? Nothing else?" He asked me. I shook my head._

 _"Let's get back to that later." I told him. He shrugged._

 _"Are you also not going to choose a ranged weapon at all?" He asked me. I nodded._

 _"I know how to shoot. Let's focus on this stuff." I told him. Janus nodded._

 _"We'll see. Hmm... While it has been a while since I've wielded one, a bladed weapon is something you can never forget to use. We can begin now if you prefer." He told me. I smirked._

 _"Yeah, let's do this." I told him. Time to get in shape. Janus nodded._

 _"First things first, we need to choose what kind of blade for you to handle. Here's some options." He said, waving his hand. A table formed, lined with swords and knives. He picked up one sword, a classic in my opinion. "A katana. While it is an honorable blade to carry, it has it's drawbacks. It's far more fragile than other swords, something we have to take into account, what with your newfound strength and all. No..." He set it down gently. "That won't work for you." He turned to my direction, studying me. "You can lift say... 500 pounds at the moment yes?" At my nod, he continued. "Hmm... we need something to compensate for your strength. Perhaps a...No... " He started muttering to himself, finally snapping his fingers. Another sword appeared, this one a bit larger than the katana. "A claymore. You have to give the Scots credit, they knew what they were doing." Janus told me, passing me the sword. He gestured._

 _"Go on, give it a swing." He told me._

 _Hefting the unfamiliar weight in my hands, I gave a diagonal swing. It felt... right. I like this._

 _"Huh... not bad." I said, holding up the blade. I gave a few more swings, finally taking a small break. Janus nodded._

 _"You seem to be getting the hang of this rather well, but a few things." He said, moving over to me. He began to adjust my hands, giving me a better grip on the sword. "Don't tense up. Keep your shoulders straight, but loose enough so that you can move them without injuring yourself. Oh, and stay balanced. Balance is key when using a weapon, don't want you to fall over during a fight, now would we?" He asked, bringing out a longsword. Really have to ask about that a one point. "Copy me, at whatever pace you want." He told me, starting off a series of swings. "One, two, three..." He went on, giving me a new swing with every count._

 _"One, two, three..." I muttered, keeping up pace with him._

* * *

 _I managed for quite a while, until my arms were aching. I ignored it at first, mainly because it was minor. Finally I decided to take a break. Panting, I looked at Janus, who had stopped swinging his blade._

 _"How long was that?" I asked, trying to catch my breath. Janus shrugged._

 _"An hour. Not bad." He said, checking over something. Wait what? Figured I would last longer. Janus saw my confused look._

 _"It's not uncommon to tire out after attempting the swings I showed you. In fact I'm amazed you made it that far. Now then, let's try firearms." He told me, bringing up targets._

 _"Whoa wait a minute. What exactly do you mean by firearms? I know how to shoot a gun." I told him, frowning. Janus shook his head._

 _"Fine. You can shoot? Then go ahead." He said, bringing up a... whoa. It was a pistol, a big one. Come to think of it, it looked really familiar. "This it the AMT Automag V. A semi automatic handgun created in 1993, it's chambered in .50 Action Express. It has an effective range of 50 meters. Using this, I want you to try and hit that target right there." He said, shoving the gun into my hands and pointing at one target. "That's forty meters out. You have six rounds. Make them count." He told me. Oh, now I remember. I saw this thing in a video once. Well, I always wanted to shoot an antique._

 _I breathed slowly. This'll be easy. Pulling up the gun, I took aim, then fired. Shit! The gun had a bigger kick than I was expecting. I fired again, and again. Finally I was out of rounds. "So how'd I do?" I asked Janus, setting the gun down. He shook his head._

 _"You only hit once. Again." He told me, passing the gun back to me. I emptied the gun into the target. He hummed. "Two shots this time. An improvement, but not by a lot." He told me. I growled, tossing the gun at him. He caught it with ease._

 _"If you're so good, why don't you do it?" I snarled, pointing at the target. Janus nodded._

 _"Fine. Watch me." He said, snapping his fingers. Instantly, the target moved back a bit more. "It's at sixty meters right now. Out of the guns usual effective range, but it'll work." He told me. Janus raised the pistol, taking aim. He fired six times, and I heard each one impact. He twitched a finger, bringing the target back to us. All six bullets were a headshot, all of them combining to make a smiley face._

 _"Okay, I get that you're trying to tell me that I can do better, but now you're just showing off." I muttered, looking back up at the constellations. "Mind if I add a couple more things?" I asked. Janus paused for a few movements, before slowly nodding._

 _"I shouldn't give you a second chance, but I will. Do not expect me to go easy on you again, understand?" He said, his red eyes glaring right at me. I nodded, giving him a two fingered salute._

 _"You got it. Here's the other stuff." I said, pointing up. "Firearms, Hand to Hand, and Weapons Crafting. Never know when that would come in handy." I said, taking step back. Janus nodded._

 _"Well, you're catching on. Good." He said. I paused when I noticed something else that caught my eye._

 _"Magic? You know magic? Like card tricks or full on bending reality?" I asked him. Janus raised an arm, showing me a blood red rune forming in his hand._

 _"Let's just say that it's more than just cheap tricks. Unfortunately you won't be able to do anything major, but I can show you the beginner's course." He moved to say something else when he stopped. The world around us started to shimmer. Oh hell. "Dammit. Looks like you're waking up." He told me, moving away from me. "Rest assured, we WILL continue to train, one way or another. Understand?" He told me, staring at me. I nodded._

 _"I understand. Thank you." I told him. Before he could say anything else, the world around us vanished._

* * *

I shot awake, gasping audibly, before groaning in pain. Guess I was still hurting in the real world. Ah well. Looking down, I saw that my arm was in a sling, my body covered in bandages.

"Doctor! I think he's waking up!" I heard someone call out. They sounded familiar. Wait a minute... I know that voice. Looking up, I saw Lily in the doorway, waving someone down.

"Lily?" I rasped out. She turned quickly, seeing me and gasped. She moved over to me.

"Michael! Oh my gosh you're awake! Don't move! Don't speak! Actually nevermind, speaking might do you some good, since you've been out a while. Do you need anything? Maybe some pain relievers? Wait, are there even any around here? I swear that doctor's taking forever." She babbled on and on. I could see that my condition had her worried. Her eyes were puffy from what looked like crying, her normally neat hair was frazzled, and she was wobbling a bit. I moved my uninjured hand up to her face, trying to calm her down.

"Breath." I instructed slowly. She finally calmed down, taking deep breaths. Now that she was better, it was time to ask questions. "How... long?" I asked, my throat still extremely dry. Lily blinked, surprised at how alert I was.

"It's been... a few weeks." She told me, her voice wavering. Then she took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "Do you want anything?" She asked me, looking around the room. I nodded, letting go of her face.

"Something... to drink... would be... nice." I muttered, quickly falling into a coughing fit. Damn, my throat was really starting to hurt. Lily moved, bringing my a paper cup filled to the brim with water. I snatched it out of her hands, quickly downing it. After that, we stayed there talking for a bit, avoiding the massive elephant in the room. Finally I bit the bullet.

"So... what exactly have I missed?" I asked, stretching back and groaning softly. That... was a mistake.

Lily looked like she was about to say something, when someone else spoke up.

"Excuse me young lady, could I speak to my patient for a moment?" A deep voice asked. I looked past Lily, noticing an older looking man with graying hair, dressed in a doctor's uniform. Lily instantly moved away, muttering apologies under her breath. The man smiled. "Mr. Galloway. What a surprise to see you up, what with your injuries. I'm Doctor Rufus. Tell me, how are you feeling at the moment?" He asked me, taking a look at a chart in his hands. I chuckled.

"I hate to ask, but did you catch the license plate of the truck that hit me?" I muttered, letting my head hit the oh so soft pillow. Ah sweet relief. I heard Rufus chuckle as well.

"I suppose that's a good response, given how you were when the police brought you in. Now then, if you could please sit up? I'd like to run some tests." He told me. I complied, much to my body's disagreement. What followed was a standard procedure check up. Vitals, breathing, reflexes, stuff like that. The doc looked rather shocked when he saw the results.

"Something the matter doc?" I asked, taking a glance at his face. Rufus shook his head.

"Quite the opposite actually. It's... it's extraordinary really. Your body appears to be healing at a rapid pace, at lease for a man without an aura unlocked. It's almost like magic! Tell me, have you been in contact with someone with a large amount of aura at all? It looks as though there's lasting effects." He told me. Wait what? I heard Janus chuckle. Funny, I think that's the first time I've heard him do that.

 **'That's me. I figured that you would go insane just lying around here. Let's just say that the little demonstration I showed you earlier was a fraction of what I could do. Play along.'** He told me. I nodded. Gotta love magic.

"Yeah, old friend of mine. Likes to bug me from time to time. Guess he did more than that?" I asked, chuckling ruefully. Rufus nodded.

"It would appear so. I suppose that's what keep you alive." He told me, his face darkening. Ah hell.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" I asked him, noticing Lily stiffen. Rufus sighed.

"When you were brought in, you were beaten within an inch of your life, with internal bleeding extremely prominent. Besides the injured arm, there was also a cut across your eye that if it was a centimeter closer, would have blinded you permanently. This, coupled with a few fractured ribs, nearly made us lose you. What exactly happened to you young man?" He asked, staring at me. Lily was also giving me a look, pleading. Damn it. I was about to speak up when I paused, noticing a man in the doorway.

"I believe I can answer that." He said. He looked to be middle aged, with silver hair and brown eyes covered by small spectacles. He wore a black suit, with a buttoned up vest and green shirt. In one hand, he held a cane. In the, he held a steaming mug of coffee. Professor Ozpin. He smirked as he entered. "Forgive me for interrupting doctor. Could I speak with you for a moment?" He asked. Rufus nodded.

"Of course! Let's take this outside." He said, following Ozpin out the door. I looked over at Lily, who sitting down, head bowed. Shit. Well time to see what's bugging her. This isn't going to end well is it?

* * *

Third Person POV

Lily Jones was a pretty simple girl. She was hyperactive, knew way too much about weapons, and was a little too excitable. She also knew that she was a bit... eccentric, and that wouldn't get her many friends. When she first met Scarlet, Lily figured she was set. All that she needed after that was a shop to call her own, and she was home free. That all changed when she bumped into Michael Galloway. Besides their... awkward first encounter, the two of them hit it off pretty well.

From that point on Lily had only a few people to rely on including Scarlet, her parents, and now Michael. Was it lonely? Yes. Did she care? Not particularly. For a while, life seemed to be good. Lily was learning more blueprints for the shop, her parents were putting more trust in her than ever, and she was so close to getting her apprenticeship done. That's when Lily got the call that Michael was in the hospital.

Of course she rushed over. How couldn't she? When she first saw Michael... to say she was shocked would be an understatement. He was covered in bandages, not moving at all. For the next few days, Lily stayed by his side, helping out when she could. Finally on the seventh day, she decided to head home. It took a few weeks, and a lot of random visits, but Michael finally woke up. When the doctor left the speak to someone, the two of them remained in silence.

Michael saw Lily and sighed. "What's wrong? Besides..." He gestured to himself with his uninjured arm. Lily closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"How?" She finally asked him. Opening her eyes, she saw his confused look. "How can you just joke about what happened to you? You almost died Michael." She told him, looking him in the eyes. He smiled tiredly.

"Trust me, I am freaking out, I just can't afford to show it. Trust me, once I get back to my place I'm going to have a full on breakdown. Now though? Figured I'd stay strong for you and Scar, who by now you've probably told that I've woken up." He said. Lily's eyes widened. She hadn't. Michael pointed out of his room. "Go on. Not like I'm going anywhere." He said.

Lily was about to leave, but stopped short. "We're not done with this conversation." She told him. As she left the room, she swore she could hear him say 'Believe me, I know.'

Lily brushed past Doctor Rufus and the other man, almost knocking his mug out of his hands.

"Oh I am so sorry..." She paused as soon as she saw his face. No wonder he looked so familiar. It was Professor Ozpin... the headmaster of Beacon. He chuckled.

"It's fine. You seemed to be in a hurry. Accidents happen." He told her. Lily mumbled out another apology, walking away.

Back in the room, Michael relaxed slightly, laying back in his bed, only to get up once more when the door opened again.

Ozpin strode in. "Michael Galloway. Do you know who I am?" He asked.

Michael nodded. "Professor Ozpin. Headmaster of Beacon Academy. How can I help you?" He asked the older man.

Ozpin chuckled, taking seat next to Michael's bed. "It's good to see you are so well informed. I suppose with introductions out of the way, it's time to get down to business. What exactly do you remember before you knocked unconscious?" He asked.

Michael frowned, memories coming back to him. "I remember a lot of pain... the bar... all of those bodies... then... he came." He snarled, almost spitting out the next part. "Danton Reed. Bastard nearly got me. Hell, he left me a little something to remember him by. Not much else I'm afraid." He told Ozpin.

The headmaster sighed in response. "Oh Danton... what have you become?" He muttered to himself, closing his eyes. For a moment, Ozpin looked like he was going to leave, but he stayed.

"So... I take it you know him?" Michael asked, adjusting himself in his bed and taking a drink from his cup.

Ozpin nodded, setting the now forgotten mug aside. "Indeed I do Mr. Galloway. In fact... I helped train him personally." Michael promptly spat his water out at that announcement. "Yes, I suppose that's a proper reaction to that." He said, chuckling. Michael cleared his throat, smirking.

"Maybe you should have started with that. Yeah... Reed was there alright. Why exactly do you care? Besides the fact that you trained him of course." Michael shot back. Ozpin sighed.

"Tell me Mr. Galloway, what do you know of the four academies? Truly know?" Ozpin asked the younger man. He shrugged.

"I just know that you guys are protectors of humanity. Killing Grimm mainly. You telling me there's something else?" Michael asked. Ozpin nodded.

"There is a small number selected from graduating classes. These few are trained even further than regular hunters. We call them Custos. It's an from an old dialect. It means Guardians." Ozpin said, noticing Michael's confusion slowly grow. "You'll see where I'm going with this. It was agreed upon when the academies were first formed that if and when the Grimm grew too much for the regular hunters, the Guardians would be released. They were meant to be the deadliest among the hunters, made to combat both Grimm and humans. In fact, the last time they were used in a large amount was in the Great War. Suffice to say, wherever they go death surely follows. The reason I'm telling you all of this is because Danton was once a Guardian." Ozpin said, finishing his explanation. Michael had gone paler and paler, the heartbeat monitor next to him beeping rapidly.

"How... how the hell did I even survive?" Michael asked, so faintly that it seemed like he was talking to himself.

Ozpin nodded. "Indeed. That is the question. If it's any consultation, what makes a Guardian dangerous isn't their physical prowess, but their mental one. While they're like your average hunter, we've trained them to be more tactical." He said.

Michael chuckled. "Yeah, that definitely helps. Sorry that I don't remember anything else." He said.

Ozpin shrugged. "Well, if you don't remember anything else, then that's perfectly fine. A word of warning, Mr. Galloway. Danton was always a... determined individual. If you did anything that affected him, be on guard. He won't take such an insult lightly. If you see any sign of him, please call me immediately." He said, leaving a card on the table next to Michael. With that he walked out of the room. Making sure no one was around to hear him, Ozpin activated his scroll. "Qrow. Something's come up."

* * *

First Person POV (Michael)

After Ozpin left, I found myself trying to catch my breath. Jesus... Talk about bad luck. Looks like I'm gonna need some help. Okay, time to take into account what I have on me. My tranq gun, a knife... shit. I'm gonna need an upgrade. Something dependable. I was shaken out of my thoughts when Rufus came back in.

"Are you alright there Mr. Galloway? You seem rather pale, and your vitals were skyrocketing earlier." He told me, worry evident on his face. I shook my head.

"It's fine Doc. Just got some concerning news. Say... when can I get out of here? I need to finish a job." I told him. Rufus smiled, shaking his head.

"Eager one aren't you? Well normally the hospital would have you stay a day or two, just to make sure there isn't any side effects, but from what I've heard you'd just sneak out when you have the chance. So why don't we just move things along and get you released?" He asked me. I nodded.

"Sounds good to me doc. Just do me a favor." I told him. He stopped before he left my room, waiting for me to speak. "Can I get some pants? Never really liked hospital robes." I said. Rufus left the room, his laugh booming. After that, it was a surprisingly quick process getting released. I just signed the paperwork, got my property back, and took some recommended medicines. Hell, even the bill was all set. Apparently I was helped by a 'mysterious benefactor'. My money was on either Ozpin or Orion. Either way, I was fine with that.

Finally I was out the hospital doors. Taking in a breath of fresh air, I made a decision, sprinting off in one direction. Instead of heading home, I went back to Morningstar. As I approached my business, I saw a 'closed' sign on the door. Huh, guess someone was watching over the place. Nice. Walking in, I could see that the place had been cleaned up. I took off the sling on my arm, approaching my desk. Was that a bad idea? Probably, but I can't take any chances. I needed all the mobility I could get.

On said desk there was a package, along with a note. Both had my name on them. I took the note, reading it.

 _Galloway_

 _If you're reading this, that means you've woken up. That's going to be good to hear. We have something we need to discuss. Call me at this number. Oh, and Reed left me something. Don't know what this is exactly, but apparently you've been searching for this thing. Consider this a peace offering. Please call me when you can._

No name. Guess whoever wrote this wanted me to have an open mind when calling them. That can wait. For now, what the hell was in the box?

I glanced over at the box, opening it. Inside was the gem... well I guess amulet was the right word. Hesitating slightly, I picked it up. It was... weird. On one side, the gem was covered in gold, but on the other side the material was silver. It looked almost as if two pieces were merged into one. 'Hey J, this thing seem familiar to you?' I asked. I heard him grumbling.

 **'Yes. I don't know from where though. It's odd, the gem almost seems to call to me. There's some kind of power hidden in it. Something... I can't describe it.'** He told me. Well well, guess we found something good here.

'You think we should take this thing in? Bring it to the person who asked us to find this?' I asked him, gesturing to the amulet in my hand.

'Perhaps it is for the best. Whoever wanted this knew what it looked like, and most likely knew the risk of obtaining in. Besides, we do need the money.' He told me. I saw a bill float by, basically slamming into my face. While my apartment was already paid for, my building wasn't. I could just tell someone was trying to give me a sign.

'Yeah yeah, rub it in why don't you?' I thought, moving over to my closet and grabbing an empty briefcase that used to hold my money. Sadly it was just taking up space now. Carefully placing the amulet inside, I snapped the briefcase shut and walked out the door. Was I putting myself at risk? Probably. Right now I just needed the money. Checking the time, I was glad to see that it was barely going to be twelve. Time to finish the job.

* * *

I arrived at 3521 Bane Street just like the note said. Glancing down at my watch, I saw that it was already a quarter past one. Five minutes left to spare. Glancing around, I saw a white bench all by it's lonesome. Had to be the place. I walked over to the bench, taking a seat and placing the briefcase next to me. Guess it wouldn't hurt to take a quick rest. I closed my eyes and had my arms behind my head when a voice spoke up. Ah great.

"The note said for you to leave the package, but I suppose this will do just fine." I opened my eyes, glancing at the speaker. It was an old woman, with tan skin and green eyes. She was wearing what looked like a hooded green robe, and in her hands she held a small staff. I heard Janus muttering.

 **'Hm.. she seems familiar.'** He said. 'Not now.' I shot back, shaking my head.

"So... can I assume you came to pick the gem up?" I asked her. She nodded, walking slowly over to me. I moved to stand, but she waved me off.

"Yes I did. Please, don't stand up on my account. Is this it?" She asked me. I nodded, opening the briefcase. The blood red gem sparkled in the sunlight. The old woman gasped, reaching for it. She caught herself, instead nodding. "That's it alright. I'm surprised you found it." She told me.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's the deal with this thing? There's gotta be some reason you wanted this so badly." I said, closing the briefcase. The woman nodded.

"That's a fair question. It's been a part of my family for generations. It's something of a relic, but an important one." She told me. Well, that's fair I guess. I passed her the briefcase, which she took.

"Thank you Mr. Galloway. I'll be sure to have the money transferred to you." She told me.

"It was no problem Miss..." I stopped myself. Come to think of it I don't even know her name. Shit.

"Meral. Just Meral." She said, still walking away. Meral. Alright then. Well, I guess that's a job well done. My scroll buzzed, which got me glancing down at it.

'Alert: 125,000 Lien deposited.' Shit that was fast. Good money too. With that out of the way... what else was I going to do again? That's when I felt something smack me on the head. What the?! I turned around to face whoever did that, only to find no one there. What the hell?

"Who the hell just hit me?" I asked. No one came up to respond.

 **'That was me you idiot. Wait a minute... You felt that? Good. That way I can get your attention more. In case you forgot, we have a very dangerous person after us. The most important thing we need right now is a weapon. Something reliable.'** Janus said. Reliable... right. Well there's only one weapons shop that I know about. Lily's... ah shit. I totally left her at the hospital. Well no time like the present. I suppose I could catch a bus... but I need the exercise. In no time at all I was in front of the shop. Come to think of it, I've never been here before. Well, this was gonna happen sooner or later I guess.

I could see that while it had some modern stuff like a guns display in the front and everything, it was more rustic than anything. Looked kinda homey to be honest. On the top, where the sign was, I could make out a blue shield, with a pair of wings etched into it. Below that was a sign.

"Smelts of Heaven? Well, certainly looks interesting." I muttered to myself, entering the front door. The inside of the shop followed what I saw from outside. Modern stuff here and there, but for the most part it was extremely rustic. I could feel Janus getting giddy. Huh... never thought I would say that.

' **Oh my. There's a large variety of things to choose from. Katanas, Broadswords, Warhammers. All of them are rather well made. And that's not including the firearms.'** He muttered. Apparently he liked what he saw.

Immediately I heard some people talking... more like arguing. One of those people sounded familiar.

"Mom you don't get it! He was there one minute and the next he was gone! People don't just disappear like that! What if he's hurt or something? Oh man how could I just leave him there?" Lily ranted. Oh shit. I was about to say something when someone else, Lily's mother apparently, spoke up. I couldn't see from where though, so five bucks says that they're in the back.

"Lily you have to calm down. I'm sure your friend is fine. Have you tried calling him?" She asked. I could hear Lily's facepalm from where I was.

"I swear sometimes I forget this thing even exists." She groaned. Well, I guess now's a good time as any.

"Hello? Anyone here?" I called out. Just like that, the door on my right slammed open, and Lily shot out. Her eyes widened when she saw me. I grinned sheepishly, waving slightly. "Hey Lily." I said. Her eyes narrowed, and she started stalking forward. Ah hell. "Whoa whoa, not the face!" I said, raising my hands in defense. Before Lily could do anything, a throat cleared and she stopped cold.

Behind her, with a grin on her face, was an older woman who looked like a carbon copy of Lily, with only a few differences. To start off, she had her hair tied in a ponytail, and was slightly taller than Lily. That and she was decked out a heavy apron and gloves.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" She asked Lily, who had turned beet red at this point.

"Right! Uh... Michael, this is my mom Lavender. Mom this is Michael." She muttered, gesturing to the both of us. I walked forward, sticking out my hand.

"Pleasure to meet you Ma'am. Lily's told me a lot about you." I said, trying to be civil. It worked I guess, because Ms. Jones's grin formed into a smile.

"Well aren't you a polite one? The pleasure's mine, really. Now how about you explain to my daughter where exactly you've been? Poor girl looks like she's about to drop." She said, looking over my shoulder. Ah hell. Glancing back, I could see that Lily's blush was starting to die down, and the glare was returning. I turned back to face Lily, raising my hand.

"Before you start, I come bearing gifts." I said, pulling out a chocolate bar. Chocolate for some odd reason seemed to calm Lily down, so I bought some as a backup plan. Lily snatched it from my hand and began to nibble on it. Good. Now I have time to explain. "So... the reason I wasn't there when you came back was... well it was for a couple reasons. First of all... hospitals. Can't do em, at all. Secondly, I still needed to do a job, which I finally got paid for. Hey, at least I'm here now right?" I asked her.

Lily's eyes had slowly widened in understanding through my explanation, and she finally nodded her head. "Yeah, alright. Just... leave a note next time. Not that there's gonna be a next time. I think. I hope. Is there?" She suddenly asked me. There's the Lily I know! Good to see her back. I shrugged at the question.

"Who knows? Now, about the reason I'm here..." I trailed off. Lily perked up.

"Oh right, why exactly are you here? Not that I don't mind." She said. I took a deep breath. Never thought I'd say this.

"I want to buy a gun." I told her. Lily blanched.

"Really? I mean of course you're completely justified in your idea, but you'll have to talk to mom about this. She's the gun nut here." She said, pointing over her shoulder. Then her eyes widened. "Oh crap I totally forgot I was forging something I'll see you later Michael good luck!" She rambled off, running past me into the shop. I chuckled, noticing Ms. Jones was trying to fight off a smile.

"Well, good to see that some things never change." I told her.

She chuckled and nodded. "You should have seen her when she was younger. Now then, you wanted to buy firearm? We have a wide selection to choose from." She said, gesturing to a weapon rack next to us. I nodded. Let's see what I can afford.

* * *

So after a bit of looking around and a background check, which I passed with flying colors, I walked out of the store with a case holding my new pistol. It was something Janus insisted on. A Cobra Delta Elite chambered in 10mm. While it wasn't anything major, it would still get the job done. With that out of the way, I guess now would be a good time to call that number on the note. I brought out my scroll, dialing it.

"So, apologies for the wait. Sorry if I'm brief about this. This is Michael Galloway. Who are you?" I asked. I heard a chuckle on the other line. It was modulated.

 **"That's completely fine Mr. Galloway. My name is Oracle, and I need your help."** The voice said. Ah shit.

 _Heh. Again, sorry for the wait folks. School's been a real drag. On the bright side, this has got to be my longest chapter yet, at over 6000 words. I apologize if there's any mistakes, just let me know and I'll fix them. Also what do you guys think of Janus? Am I going the right route for him? I have a plan with him, just want to know if it'll work in this story. Any suggestions would be appreciated._

 _Let's get a couple of things out of the way. First of all, it's officially been a year since I've started writing, so thank you to all you awesome people out there for support. Secondly, Rest in Piece to Stan 'The Man' Lee. You've really inspired us all. Well with that sad little tidbit out of the way, until next time folks, Read, Review and Enjoy!_


	8. Showdown

I cursed as I tossed another file away. Useless! There was still no word on Danton, and even chasing after him wasn't helping. How the hell did this happen again? I guess this all started when I got a call from Oracle.

* * *

(One Month Ago)

 _Shit. This isn't good. One of the most wanted men in Vale is calling me right now. Damn it, this isn't going to look good for me if I continue this._

 _I looked around, making sure that no one could hear me. "Look, I don't know why you're calling me, but I'm gonna have to say no. I'm sorry." I told him, ready to hang up. I did not need this kind of heat on me right now._

 _" **Wait! Please Mr. Galloway, you don't understand the situation. Give me time to explain."** Oracle said. I hesitated. " **If you want to stop Reed, we need to work together. Come to this address, alone."** He continued, finally hanging up. Suddenly, my scroll pinged, showing me an address, along with a location. Fuck, I'm conflicted here. On the one hand, I know just how bullshit some stuff on T.V is. On the other hand, I had just gotten out of a fight with Reed that put me into a coma. Honestly do not want a repeat performance thank you very much. I don't know why, but I looked down at my scroll._

 _Wait a minute… this is only a couple blocks away. Damn it all, what the hell do I do? Wait, I'm an idiot. I have a voice in my head for these kinds of questions... Any other day that kind of thought would've led me to taking some kind of medication, but it's the best I can do. 'Janus, any thoughts?' I asked. Surprisingly he answered back almost immediately._

 **'Honestly… I would say go for it. I vaguely remember some stuff before falling unconscious. The main thing however, is that Oracle saved our lives. I suppose we can give him the benefit of the doubt. Go, but keep an eye out. We don't know if we're being watched.'** _He told me. Huh... well that's news. I mean about the life saving thing, the whole 'being watched' thing was a given, knowing my luck. But should I really risk it? I shrugged. 'Oh fuck it, let's go see what he wants.' I told J. With that, we walked off._

 _Of course as I walked, I was keeping an eye out everywhere. I didn't want anyone get the drop on me. Not again. I had one block to go, and I hadn't noticed anyone. That's good... I think. Whatever. Finally I was at the location. An older looking, run down two story building. Hell of a place to meet up at. Making sure that no one else was around, I gingerly stepped inside. While the place looked shitty, and by all means it was, it still had a working light system, so it wasn't pitch black thankfully. Oh I'm gonna regret what I'm about to do, I just know it._

 _"Hello? Anybody in here? Kinda feeling like a dumbass just talking to myself here." I called out into the building. Nothing. Well this was just a waste off time. I turned around, only to come face to face with a purple helmet. "HOLY SHIT!" I yelled, tearing out my pistol from it's shoulder holster. The figure didn't even react as I shoved my gun in it's face. "Who the hell are you?" I growled. I had a guess, but I needed to be sure. The figure calmly raised their hands, seemingly unfazed by my threat._

 _ **"Well... you're certainly on edge. But I suppose you've earned it with the target on your back. It's a pleasure to formally meet you Mr. Galloway. As you may have guessed, I'm Oracle. I suppose it's time for you to hear my side of the story."** Oracle said, putting his hands down. I didn't put my gun down right away, but eventually I holstered it. Oracle gestured to a few chairs behind me, walking over to one. Finally I could get a good glimpse at the fabled vigilante._

 _The most striking thing about him was the helmet. It looked like something Red Hood would use, with the mask being a purple color and almost... lifelike energy to it, with black outlines. His armor was shaded similarly, only in reverse, with black being the dominant color and purple outlines covering it. Come to think of it... the armor looks like the Arkham Knight's. Huh, guess I wasn't off with the whole 'Red Hood' idea. Covering his body was a black hooded trench coat, and I could see on his chest was a kanji. 真, or as I know it (Thanks Mom), Truth. I could see two revolvers strapped to his hips, and on his back he had a rifle... wait a minute... that's no rifle. That's the fucking Railgun from Battlefield 4! How the... you know what, I don't even want to know._

 _Glancing at the Railgun warily for a moment, I took a seat next to Oracle, looking at him. "So... here I am. Let's get a few things out of the way here, alright? First off, drop the Mr. Galloway thing, it's just Michael. Secondly, I want answers. What's really going on here?" I asked him. Oracle sighed, putting his hands to his head._

 _ **"Very well. Perhaps the best place to start is at the beginning. You're aware of the crime I'm being accused of, yes?"** He asked me. I nodded, gesturing for him to continue. **"Good. I didn't do it. Danton Reed did. Let me assure you, Mick Desmond was an old friend of mine. I would never come to harm him."** Oracle sighed once more and stood up, beginning to pace around. **"About three months ago, Mick contacted me about something major happening here in Vale. A former colleague of his was going to blow the whistle on it, and Mick needed my help in the matter. I arrived at his house to find Mick, along with his colleague, dead. Danton was standing there in the middle of the carnage, just... admiring his work. Unfortunately he bolted when he saw me, and hadn't left any traces of himself in the house. I chased after him, and that's what the police discovered. I've been moving around the city ever since, trying to track Reed down."** With that, Oracle finished his story, sitting back down. I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding. Shit... this is a lot to take in. I looked up at Oracle._

 _"So... where exactly do I come into this? I'm just a random private eye. Just one with real shitty luck." I told him, muttering the last part. Oracle shook his head._

 _ **"You're an unknown variable Michael. Danton won't anticipate you. Look what happened the last time. You did something I could never hope to accomplish. You made Danton bleed. The fact that you managed this proves that Danton isn't some force of nature. He's not some all powerful beast like the Grimm. He's human like you and me. That means he can be stopped. But he won't be unless the two of us work together. So what do you say? Are you in?"** He asked me, extending a clawed hand. You know... any other day I would have just turned around and walked away. But Oracle was right. Danton wasn't going to stop. When I first met him, there was a madness behind those eyes of his that would haunt me for a long time. If I were to let that go on... no. I won't. I shook Oracle's hand._

 _"I'm in. What's our first step?" I asked him. Oracle's shoulders dropped in relief._

 _ **"Well that's... good to hear. Scratch that, it's great to hear. Okay, the first thing we need to do is track down Danton. He's kept quiet for the past few weeks, so I'm going to need you to be keep an eye out. Oh, and get something better to use. That little pea shooter's not gonna do anything against him if he finds you."** He said, pointing at my gun. I rolled my eyes._

 _"Yeah, well I can't exactly afford to get something like a magnum now can I? Besides, you know how suspicious it looks if I start lugging something like that around?" I asked Oracle. He shook his head._

 _ **"Well luckily for you, I came prepared."** He said, moving over to a closet and taking out several cases. **"What exactly are you proficient in? I have a number of options for you to choose from."** Oracle said, setting down a few cases at my feet. Some were small, others... not so much. I pointed to one that looked promising._

 _"I've good at using handguns and knives. I mean, I've started taking up some sword training but honestly I just started, so handguns is good for me." I told Oracle, hoping I made the right choice. He nodded._

 _ **"That's fair. The good news is I have the perfect gun for you."** He said, opening the case I pointed to. Inside was a... whoa. I was looking at black revolver with the barrel merging into a curved blade. Oracle chuckled at my shocked look. **"This was my first weapon. I got it from a friend. This bad boy fires .45 caliber rounds and transforms into a kukri. Should work well for you."** He said, taking the gun in his hand. He passed it over to me. **"Go on. Give it a shot."** He said, waiting for my reaction._

 _I held the gun in my hand. Hm... not bad. I aimed it, getting a feel for the grip. It fit well. Twirling it in my hand for a bit, I pressed a button on the grip that had to be the mechshift. Instantly the entire gun morphed, the whole body moving vertically. I could stab someone and still be able to fire the gun. Impressive. Still... I don't think it's for me. I shifted the weapon again and hand it back to Oracle._

 _"Sorry... but I've never really gotten the hang of combination weapons. Don't mean to sound picky, but do you have something a bit less... extravagant?" I asked him. Oracle chuckled, placing the gun back inside the case._

 _ **"It's okay. Sometimes I forget that there's simpler options. Here, this'll pack a punch. And to top it all off, it should fit you just fine."** He said, opening up another case. Oho now we're talking. **"The Colt .45. As the name implies, it's a .45 caliber handgun."** He said, bringing it up. **"However, this one is a bit different, different cartridge aside. It's been modified with a pivot-style trigger, features a ported muzzle compensator that reduces recoil and counteracts muzzle flip. The barrel is extended through the compensator and made to fit perfectly with said compensator. The slide is customized, thickened and reinforced along the slide travel rails and around the chamber and firing mechanism. Finally it uses double-stack magazines with slam-pads."** He finishes, flipping the gun over and handing it to me._

 _I'm... I honestly have no words. The gun was... beautiful. It was more like a work of art than something to use for killing. It had everything Oracle described, and a bit more. The grip fit perfectly in my hand. I could etched on the blackened slide three words, etched in silver. "Mortem Omnibus Tyrannis". Death to all tyrants. Latin. Funny enough, I did a bit of research earlier and found out that Remnant had it's own version of Latin. Guess it made sense for something like this to exist. Anyway... the gun felt right. I nodded, looking at Oracle._

 _"Are you sure you want me to have this? I mean..." I set the gun down and gestured to it. "This thing is amazing!" I said, grinning all the while. Oracle nodded._

 _ **"Consider it payment for helping me out. I can provide you with more ammo latter on, but for now you can take this."** He said, tossing me a backpack and holster. I looked at both before shrugging. Guess it's good to be prepared. I strapped the holster to my waist and checked the backpack. **"That pack has four boxes, each with about fifty rounds in them. I also put five magazines in there, but it's up to you to load them up."** He told me, putting some cases away. I nodded._

 _"Yeah that's fair. I'm guessing we're done here for now?" I asked him, strapping the gun to the holster. Oracle nodded._

 _ **"For now. My number is on your scroll if you happen to find any leads on Reed. For now just stay low and try not to call attention to yourself. Good luck."** He told me. I heard noise behind me. Turning back, I wanted to ask Oracle something else but he was gone. Heh... guess he pulled a Batman. I can respect that. I walked out of the building with my new gun in hand. I guess it's time to head home._

* * *

I managed to get back to the office, where I got chewed out by Scarlet. Tears were shed and promises made, stuff like that. I was warned, constantly mind you, to stay out of trouble. I took a week off, relaxing with my friends. After that? I took Oracle's advice, a manner of speaking anyways. That being said, I spent the better part of three weeks tracking down everything I could about Reed.

Any time I didn't spend going through records was spent sleeping, eating and most importantly, training. I always had a few words to describe Janus, some of them not so nice, but right now he was a damn good instructor. The most training I had before was from the fights I would sometimes get in at bars. I was undisciplined, sloppy. Now I knew how to throw a punch, I knew where to target and when to use it. That's not to mention what I could do with a gun, or a blade. Thankfully Smelt of Heavens had a range, one I was able to use thanks to Lily.

Right now however, I was hunched over my desk, glaring at the files. There was _nothing._ All the crimes Reed had committed, all the people he had murdered, it was just random areas. No pattern, no reason, nothing. Usually people like Reed had something they always did, stayed near an area to mark as their own, a sort of comfort zone for them. Reed was different.

"Fuck, there has to be something that Danton does every time he goes out." I said, tossing another file aside. I was about to reach for another when I heard the door to my office open. I didn't immediately look up, still focused on the files below me.

"That is because you seek something where there is nothing. Danton is unfortunately a confusing man to understand." I heard a woman say. I brought up the Colt, aiming it at the person who spoke up.

She was to put it bluntly, a regal woman. From the boots and slacks she had to the long coat, dress shirt and cape she wore. She was extremely pale, with piercing red eyes and white hair tied up in a ponytail. To top it all off she wore a pointed tri-cone hat with a feather on it. She leaned forward on a cane, looking at me. Wait a minute, it wasn't a cane. It was a sheathed blade.

"And you are...?" I trailed off, still aiming my gun at the mystery woman. She looked... familiar. Wait a minute... she actually looked like...

"My name is Maria." She said, nodding her head to me. My blood stopped cold. That's why she looked familiar. Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower, from Bloodborne. She was even carrying her transformed Rakuyo with her. Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Even Janus was scared, as far as I could tell.

"Well alright then, Maria. Why exactly are you here?" I asked her, lowering the Colt. She smiled sadly.

"Well, I heard from a concerned individual that Danton Reed was in Vale, and that you were tracking him down Mr. Galloway. Let's just say that the two of us... used to be close." She said, standing up and walking over. I tensed slightly, but let her come closer. She grabbed a file, one that showed Reed's face grinning back at us. Yeah, he didn't even try to hide where he was. Her fingers grazed the photo, her gaze softening as she did. I cleared my throat, getting Maria's attention.

"Well first things first, call me Michael." I said, offering my hand to her. She shook it, giving me a small grin in response.

"Michael then. Tell me, what do you know about Danton?" She asked me, gazing back at the picture. I tensed, deciding to tread carefully in what I said.

"What exactly do you know about his recent... activities?" I cautiously asked her. She shook her head.

"Please... do not hold back on the details. I must know." She told me, her eyes hardening as she looked at the picture. I sighed, ready to move if need be.

"In the past two months, from what I can gather at least, Danton is responsible for at least three dozen murders. The first dozen he committed approximately one and a half month ago, and I was able to verify those on the account that I found the bodies. After that he vanished, only appearing again three weeks ago. From that point, he started getting erratic, not even attempting to be discreet as he did previously. In two weeks he called a dozen. Last week he killed a dozen. He's gradually been getting worse." I said, pulling out the respective files.

Maria looked through each one, the grip she had on my desk tightening until I heard the creaking of wood. Looking down, I could see she had actually torn off a piece my desk. I could hear Janus muttering lowly.

 **'Back up, back up right now.'** He hissed. I obliged, taking the Colt and backing up ever so slightly. Maria's glare turned towards me, and I flinched. Let's just say that if looks could kill, I would be a bloodstain in the ground right about now. Then her gaze softened, returning back to the stoic one she had first coming in.

"My apologies Michael. To see what happened to Danton was... difficult to say the least. I didn't even know he was alive until recently, and to find this... shell claiming to be him is... concerning." She said, standing straight and walking over to me. Now me? I'm a good 6'5, but Maria still towered over me. I took a deep breath, calming myself down.

"Can you tell me if anything happened? Did something make him change?" I asked her. She nodded, her eyes shutting. I could see a hint of a tear falling out of one.

"He died." She said simply, turning around and walking towards the coach. Wait what. Maria unsheathed her Rakuyo and began to sharpen the blade with a whetstone. "It happened a good twelve years ago. I can still remember it clearly. The two of us had received word of a massive presence of Grimm in the city of Alderis, an independent city between the kingdoms of Vale and Vacuo. We arrived at the city, only to find it overrun with Grimm. I had the idea to search the bunkers that were placed, as a way to protect the people. Nothing. No one had survived, except for a single little girl. We were able to find her, hidden in the ruins of Alderis. That's when we realized that the support CCT tower was down." She stopped, both speaking and sharpening. Her eyes weren't looking at me anymore, instead staring at a memory she had hoped to forget.

"You... don't need to continue Maria. Really." I told her, stepping up to my desk and taking a seat. She shook her head.

"I haven't told anyone in more than a decade. And you need to understand something." She said, looking up at me. "Danton was a good man. He cared about people. He fought... so hard to get us out of the city. It may not sound like an issue, but we found the child in the heart of Alderis. She was surrounded by Creeps, Alpha Beowolves, and Beringels. Nevermores and Griffons flew across the sky. Danton led us through, tearing apart Grimm left and right. Finally, we found a transport. That's when things went from worse to horrible." She took a deep breath, clutching her left side. An old wound? Looks like it. For a few minutes, she said nothing.

"Maria?" I called out her name, not needing to ask the question behind it. She shook her head.

"I got sloppy. One of the younger Nevermores. My aura was already at it's limit, and that last barrage it threw hit me. I was barely on my feet, the child in my arms. We managed to get onto the bullhead. I could hear Danton behind us, holding them back. His aura had already gone out the day before." She finally looked up at me. Her stoic expression was gone, replaced by tears. Then I saw her eyes flash.

 _Suddenly I was there. I could see it happening. Two people, a woman and a girl, watching from a bullhead above the chaos. Below, on the ground, was a man tearing through the Grimm like they were paper. He had lost his weapon hours ago, relying only on his fists. The city, one as large as Vale, was up in flames. An inhuman roar echoed throughout the desolate hell hole that was Alderis. It wasn't from a Grimm at all, nor was it from the towers that had began slanting forward. It came from the man, holding a Beowulf in one hand, crushing the head of a Beringel in another. Finally, the buildings surrounding the bullhead began to crumble. Dust and ash swept, showering the streets below. The two in the bullhead could only watch as the man was consumed by the cloud, the roar echoing one last time before falling silent._

I inhaled sharply as the vision ended. Thankfully it wasn't noticed by Maria, who was looking down at the floor, silently crying. 'What the hell was that?' I asked Janus. He answered almost immediately.

 **'It wasn't your fault, it was mine. The emotion that came from that memory was more than I anticipated. I only tried to see if I could understand what she was saying was true with a minor bit of magic. I underestimated the power behind the memory, and we were transported to it instead. We can discuss this later.'** He told me, disappearing once more. I could hear mutterings from him, something along the lines of **'Being sloppy',** and **'Need to practice more'**

I shook my head, my mind going back to the vision. God. How the hell did Reed survive any of that? The things he went through... no wonder he was the way he was. Maria was still crying on the couch, her Rakuyo forgotten beside her. I got up, pulling out a box of tissues. I quickly handed them to Maria, then I looked away. Figured I would give her a bit of privacy.

I walked back to my desk, deep in thought. What Reed had gone through... would have made any normal man insane. The fact that he came out of that functioning as well as he did meant that something... or someone pulled him out of there. And at the rate he was going, Reed should have been by all accounts dead. I saw what he had gone through. That left only one option. Salem. Now, I've only seen up to episode... five of the sixth volume, but from what I can tell both Salem and Ozpin were... extremely powerful magic users. Considering the fact that they leveled a building when she got pissed off, and how long ago that must have been, she must have gotten powerful.

Hm... More on that for later. For now I have to see to Maria. Shaking my head, I walked over to her. I didn't sit down next to her, merely walking past her and towards my cabinet. I pulled out some whiskey and two glasses.

"I'm... so sorry that you had to remember that. I won't ask if you were okay, because it would be stupid. I suppose... the best thing to ask is how are you feeling right now?" I asked her, pouring the alcohol. I grabbed the two glasses, walking over to Maria. I offered her one, which she took gratefully.

"Thank you. That... it helped to speak about it. Perhaps that's what I needed." She said, sipping the whiskey. I simply downed mine, pouring myself another glass.

"Yeah... you're not wrong. Talking about things like this are never easy. I'm sorry you had to remember that, but I needed to know what could have happened to Danton. Now I have a better idea." I said, taking another drink. "So... I hate to ask you this, but what happened to the girl? She made it out right?" I asked, ready to take another drink if I don't like the answer.

Maria thankfully smiled sadly. "She made it out alive. The bullhead had enough fuel to get us to Vale, if barely. She... unfortunately repressed most of what transpired inside Alderis. She only remembers the start of the Grimm attack, and arriving at Vale. I check in on her from time to time, but I never truly see her." She told me. Huh.

"Well first off, good to hear that she escaped. Why don't you see her?" I asked, finishing up my drink. Maria shook her head.

"It would be... difficult to talk to her and not remember Alderis. Perhaps it was guilt, maybe... something else. I do not know." She told me, setting down her glass. I shrugged and stood up. I was about to say something else when my back stiffened. Something was wrong. Maria noticed my posture.

"Michael? Is everything okay?" She asked me, looking around. I didn't say anything, I just walked to my desk. I was about to reach the Colt when my scroll rang. I answered immediately.

"Galloway speaking." I said, looking over the Colt. It was loaded, and the Delta was strapped to my shoulder right now. I heard someone cursing, along with the sound of gunfire. I recognized the voice. Oracle.

 **"Michael! You have to move, now! Danton knows who you are! You have to get out of your office! There's no time to-"** He was cut off as a gunshot rang out near me. My scroll shattered, spraying me in shards of glass and plastic. I cursed, ducking next to me desk. That's when I heard laughter. A chill ran up my spine. Danton. I'd know that laugh anywhere.

"Oh Mike... Come out and play!" He crowed. I looked over at Maria, who had frozen. Her eyes widened, her hand dropping to the Rakuyo's scabbard. I heard a sigh, then another gunshot. "Mike? Fuck it, I'm coming in!" I heard Danton yell. He whooped, and I could hear him running. The window shattered and Danton landed in between Maria and I.

He was crouched, his sword over his shoulder. Turning to face me, I could tell Danton had already been fighting someone. His duster was torn, hanging on by mere threads. His shirt had a few holes in it, some of which were bleeding slightly. His hair was disheveled, and a bit of blood trickled out of his mouth. He was breathing heavily, and when he stood he favored his left side. He grinned when he saw me.

"Well well, you're looking great! And here I thought that the information was wrong." He said, pointing his sword at me. I refused to flinch, staring him down. Danton turned away form me, apparently thinking about something. "Makes me feel kinda bad that I caved that poor bastard's skull in with a Roomba." He muttered, as if remembering the incident clearly. Then he shrugged. "Ah what the hell? It was pretty fun actually!" He said, laughing his ass off. Then he looked up at me. "So!" He said, clapping his hands. "How the hell are you walking? I was sooo sure I crippled at least one of your legs!" He continued cheerfully, eyeing the leg he had most definitely snapped.

I shook my head, plans already starting to form. Couldn't bring up the Colt without him reacting. Had to be close. Get him talking. He's got an ego. I can use that to my advantage. "Let's just say that I had some help." I said, looking past Danton at Maria. He didn't follow my gaze, instead snorting and rolling his eyes.

"Help. Sure. Only way you could have help is if someone with an aura had helped you. Like a hunter or something." He said, turning his gaze back to me. Then he facepalmed. "Annd there's one right behind me isn't there?" He asked rhetorically. He slowly turned around, coming face to face with Maria. Her face betrayed nothing, but I could see her eyes hardening. Reed stared at her, and stared, and stared. "Who the hell are you?" He asked, still looking at her. Maria looked shocked for a moment, but recovered immediately.

"You aren't Danton Reed. He would have recognized me immediately. You are simply using his face." She said, pointing her now unsheathed Rakuyo at him. Oh shit. Danton looked confused.

"The fuck are you going on about? I am me. Sorry lady, but I've got no clue who you are. Besides, I would definitely remember a pretty face like yours." He said, grinning and winking. Maria's eyes went back to the stoic look she had first coming in.

"You are curious as to who I am, yes? Considering who I am supposed to be to you, it only strengthens my statement. Only an honest death will cure you now. Liberate you from your wild curiosity." She said, bringing up the Rakuyo and attaching her dagger to the hilt. Her hand fell into her coat, bringing out a gun. It _looked_ like Evelyn, but it was still different. The main glaring difference was that it was a revolver and not a flintlock. Other than that? It had the same design and the same long barrel. She aimed the gun at Reed, her Rakuyo gleaming in the light.

Danton laughed, bringing up his sword. "If you really think you're that good, then come on. Let's dance!" He called out, charging forward. Evelyn rang out, sending Danton flying through my door. Well at least I have insurance... I think. Well, too late for that now. Maria charged outside, the sounds of fighting outside. Damn it, I'm gonna need to pull out the big guns.

Running to my closet, I found what I was looking for. My case. Thank you Lily for getting me what I needed. Opening the case was my newest weapon. A claymore, just like Janus suggested. The blade was a good 41 inches, and was kept clean thanks to Janus' insistence. I brought the sword out, charging outside. It was a warzone. I was just thankful it was empty. Reed and Maria were flying around, trying to stab each other. Maria flew around, nimbly dodging Reed's strikes.

Strapping my sword to my back, I brought out the Colt. I took aim and fired. Sadly I missed, but not for the reason you would think. Maria had blocked my shot with her Rakuyo, still in combat with Danton. A simple look was all I needed to know she wanted to face him on her own. I obliged, for now at least, holding the Colt up and walking back to a darkened corner. I would watch, and help only if necessary.

Watching the two of them was like... watching a dance. Maria, armed with her Rakuyo, dodged Danton's strikes. Danton on the other hand was hacking and slashing at random. He wasn't smiling however. He was frowning, as if something was troubling him. Interesting.

Soon, the two of them charged at each other. Danton's sword and Maria's Rakuyo sliced forward, both about to hit the other person. Then they both CAUGHT the blades, moving forward and looking at each other. Maria's blood began to flow, as did Danton's.

"Listen, sweetheart! I know that I may have pissed you off somehow, but I'm telling you the truth! I'm Danton Reed! What's the big issue?" He asked her, snarling like an animal. Maria moved, headbutting him. I could hear the 'Crack!' from where I was. Danton stumbled back, clutching his nose with his uninjured hand. Maria glared at him once more.

"You... are NOT Danton Reed. I do not know how you got that name, or his face, but you are not him. Danton was a good man, an honest man. You are simply a mockery of what he stood for, only fighting for your own personal needs." She said, pointing Evelyn at him. Danton laughed mockingly.

"Good man! That's a GREAT one. The first memory I have was of me caving some bastard's skull in. You think that's a 'good man'?" He spat out, charging forward. Maria fired Evelyn, striking Danton in the head.

His aura was activated, so the bullet dazed him. He stumbled back, clutching his head. Then Maria calmly walked forward, tossing her Rakuyo aside and grabbing Danton by the shoulder. Her glare never subsided, and she kicked him in the balls. As he fell forward, Maria brought both her hands down, slamming Danton face first into the concrete. He tried to stand up, but Maria placed a foot on his back. Then she grabbed him by the hair, tossing him into a nearby car, face first into a window.

Maria walked over to Danton, dragging him out of it. He was bloody, small shards of glass sticking out of his face. He looked up at Maria, his eyes glazing. His expression fell.

"Maria?" He asked, spitting out some blood. The madness in his voice was gone, replaced by a saner, calmer voice. Maria's face fell, the hand holding Danton growing slack. Shit, does he actually remember? Maybe the head trauma he just went through helped.

"Danton?" She asked quietly, letting him go. She leaned forward, reaching for him. Then he grinned, a hand shooting up. Maria stumbled back, and I could see what happened. A a big shard of glass was embedded in her left side. I gasped, muffling the sound. Danton didn't hear me at all. He had forgotten I was there, focused on Maria.

"Surprise! Heh, got you didn't I?" He said, standing up. "I knew you've been trying to track me down for a while now. So I did a bit research. After that? It was simple really. Get 'hit' in the head and let you beat the hell out of me. Then bring you in close with a little 'Is that you?' Man, you really fell for it! Goddamn I'm good!" He said, standing up straight. He walked over to his discarded sword, picking it up and loading the revolver within. He walked over to Maria, holding his sword over his shoulder.

"You... knew about me? How?" She asked quietly, holding her bleeding side. Danton shrugged.

"I've got my ways." He said, standing over Maria. She tried to reach up, but Danton swatted her hand aside. He knelt, clutching her face. I could see his thumb grazing her cheek, pushing a tear out of the way. "It's a shame really. You are a beautiful woman. But I can't have anyone chasing me." He said, raising his sword in the air. Time slowed down, and I raised the Colt.

I let out a breath I was holding and I took aim. I fired once, then twice. The first bullet struck true, hitting Danton in his hand, knocking his sword aside. The next one hit his knee, and I got the pleasure of seeing him stumble back. He turned in my direction, and I took the opportunity to walk out of the shadows.

"Hey Reed. Forgot I was here?" I asked mockingly, the Colt still in my hand. I holstered it, bringing out the claymore. Danton shakily stood up and smiled, eyeing me up.

"Well well, Mike. You've gotten better. Last time we fought, you couldn't even get a hit in. Now you wanna go toe to toe with me?" He said, picking up his sword. "Heh... I'll be soo happy to oblige." He said, charging forward. This time however, I was ready. Thankfully Reed was a bit slower from the previous fight, so I was able to block his strike. The two of our blades met, Danton leering at me. I returned that by narrowing my eyes.

"So, think I'm the punk you knocked down a couple months ago? Think again." I said, rearing my fist back. Since his attention was focused on that, he didn't see my foot. I moved, kicking him in the balls. He cursed, falling back.

"Why is everyone going for my nuts? For fucks sake, I thought that I'd be fighting people more honorable than this!" He said, stumbling up. I snorted, raising my sword and pointing it at him.

"You do realized that you're the last person to be complaining about that right?" I told him, making sure to keep my eyes on him. "Look, let's cut to the chase. You're already injured. I'm not. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. No matter what, I'm bringing you in." I told Danton, my eyes never leaving him. No more tricks. Not on my watch. Danton bent over, laughing maniacally. Then he stood up, wiping a fake tear from his eye.

"Man, you're actually serious. Well... sorry Mike. I ain't going with you." He told me, humor leaving his voice, replaced with a colder tone. "I am NEVER going to be trapped anywhere else." With that, he charged forward. HOLY SHIT! He moved faster than he was fighting Maria! I barely dodged out of the way of his first strike, the second one managing to nick my arm. I didn't drop my sword however. I wasn't giving up my only chance at surviving. Come to think of it, how the hell am I so calm right now? I'd normally be freaking out.

 **'That would be my doing. Thankfully in the few weeks you've been training yourself, I was doing the same thing, at least mentally. A bit of magic, to keep you calm. A bit more to heighten your reflexes. Hope it helps.'** Janus told me. Huh. Good to know. He sounded strained, as if it took some effort to do this. **'Duck by the way.'** He continued. I obliged, narrowly dodging a swing from Danton. Another three strikes came. All of them random, all of them without warning. I blocked two, the third one getting past my defense and slicing my leg. That one I couldn't ignore. I fell down, cursing as I did. Danton chuckled, his sword aimed at my neck.

"Well? Where's that bravado you had a minute ago? What happened? Oh wait, I know! You aren't on my level. Never have been, never will. You're so far below it, it's almost a joke." He told me, the tip of his sword touching my chin. He flicked it up, drawing blood. Then his sword transformed, and I was staring down the barrel of his revolver. His free hand grabbed me by the scruff of my shirt, pulling me up. I could feel the revolver under my chin. "This is the second time you've drawn my blood. I would have let the first one slide, because no one's been able to do that. Now? I'm gonna enjoy this." He growled at me.

Then the gun moved from my chin to my gut. He fired once, then twice, then a third time. I felt each one, causing me to stumble back. Looking down, my previously white shirt had three red spots, spots that were going fast. That... that's my blood. I just got shot. Again. Heh, don't even feel it. My sword clattered to the ground and I fell back, my breathing labored.

Danton walked over to me, wiping his gun clean. "Don't worry, all of those shots hit nonlethal areas. Ya know, I was actually having a bit of fun there. Then you had to mention locking me up. That... that won't do at all. This is nothing personal. Not anymore, I assure you." He told me, bringing his gun up once more. A gunshot rang out, and I flinched. Then I realized that it wasn't from Danton's gun. It was from something bigger. Danton held his now bleeding hand, cursing and looking up. I heard a thud, and the sound of something transforming.

"Sorry for taking so long. We had a bit of traffic to deal with." An familiar voice called out. I turned as best I could, following it to the source. He had spiky gray hair, and wore a gray dress shirt with a long tail, black dress pants, and black dress shoes, a tattered red cape on his back. Resting on his shoulder was a massive longsword, gears in the crossguard. Qrow Branwen. Wait... we?

Danton flinched as something wrapped around his free hand. A burst of electricity sent him flying backwards. A shape loomed over me. I turned to see Oracle standing before me. He had seen better days. His armor was riddled with bullet holes, some with blood leaking out, he was favoring one leg more than the other, and his mask was broken on the left side. From the break, I could see a single, orange eye glaring at Danton. In his hands, I could see the Gauss Rifle he had when we first met. Strapped to his hips, one of his guns was destroyed while another was badly damaged.

 _ **"ReEd.** DiD **yOu** ThInK **YoU** cOuLd **StOp** M **E?"**_ He growled, the voice changer he used glitching badly. Danton was actually looking concerned now.

"Holy Shit. You're still alive? What the hell are you made of?" He asked Oracle. Then his gaze turned to Qrow. "And Ozpin's little agent? Why am I not surprised? I was wondering when I'd catch your attention. Well..." Danton held out his arms, as if mocking him. "Here I am. What are you gonna do now?" He asked Qrow.

Qrow shrugged, flipping Harbinger around. "If it were up to me? You'd be six feet under. Sadly, someone else wants you alive. So... come quietly or don't. Doesn't really matter to me." He said, his posture shifting slightly. Actually come to think of it, I was starting to get a bit dizzy. That's when I saw Danton reaching for something with his injured hand. I reached for my claymore slowly, trying not to draw attention to myself. I could see something in Danton's hand now. I moved, slicing at his wrist. With that, I fell back. Yep, that's it. I'm done. I heard something hit the asphalt with a soft thump.

Danton flinched, bringing his arm up. His hand was gone, lopped of at the wrist. It took him a good five seconds to process it, then he turned to glare at me. I simply gave him the finger, noticing my sword was glowing. Huh. Neat. Then I heard Janus groan.

 **'Alright, I'm spent. Call me in a few days or** **something.'** He muttered, fading away.

"You son of-" Danton was cut off by Qrow and Oracle moving forward as one. Oracle used his rifle like a club, knocking Danton over the head. Qrow on the other hand had used the blunt side of Harbinger, striking Danton in the face. He crumpled like a sack of bricks, face first into the asphalt. Oracle moved to cuff Danton, while I shifted around. Oh man I'm hurting. I waved to the two of them, trying to catch their attention.

"Uh... Just so you know, I'm starting to get a little dizzy here." I said weekly. Immediately the two of them moved over to me.

 _ **"He'S** LoSt **A** LoT **Of** BlOoD. **"**_ Oracle said smoothly, bringing out some bandages. Qrow was just as calm, taking them and putting pressure on some of my wounds.

"I can see that. So, you're Galloway? Do me a favor kid, keep talking will ya?" He said, looking at me. I chuckled, coughing up a bit of blood. Oh. That's not good.

"Ya know, if you had known me longer, you would have told me the opposite. So... you are?" I asked, giving Qrow and obvious look. He chuckled, taking out his flask. He offered it to me, and I took it.

"Name's Qrow. I guess you heard that quip about Oz then? Let's just say that I'm a bit... different than the Cutsos." He told me. I heard a soft chuckle.

"I would hope so. Considering how much different you operate, one would think Ozpin kept you secret for a reason." Maria said. Qrow paled and turned, and I moved my head slightly to look at her. She looked a bit worse for wear, clutching her right side. A bandage was covering her new wound, and she looked at the two of us stoically. I winced. Shit. I don't think I want to be on the receiving end of that look again. I looked at Qrow, raising his flask.

"Thanks! I'll buy you a drink later on." I told him, chugging the alcohol. Ah, whiskey by the taste. I was halfway through with it when Qrow took it out of my hand.

"Oh hell no! You ain't the only one that needs a drink." He muttered, attempting to finish the flask. I tried reaching for it, Qrow very against that idea. I could see Maria looking at the two of us wrestling for the flask, a soft smile gracing her lips. Finally Qrow won, taking the flask and chugging down the rest of it.

In the corner of my eye, I could see Oracle away from us with his hood up. I could see a bit of his face now. Most of his face was cloaked by shadows, the only thing standing out was his eyes. As I said before, his left eye was orange. His next one however, was bright blue. Both glowed an unnatural color. Prosthetic. Cybernetic. One of the two. He was fiddling with his mask. Finally he put the helmet back on, a 'hiss' indicating... something. He turned to look at me.

 _ **"Michael. We got him."**_ He told me, his shoulders shaking. By this time, Qrow had patched me up enough, so I stood up. Walking over to him, I offered my hand.

"Yeah. We did. You alright?" I asked him, leaning on him. He was breathing hard.

 **'He's freaking out. It might be shock, it might be blood loss. Keep him talking.'** Janus weakly told me. I nodded.

"Hey, perk up. I doubt he'll be much of a problem now. You know... with the hand and all." I said. patting Oracle on the back.

 _ **"I spent... so long hunting him down. I'm... finally clearing my name. Finally-"**_ I didn't hear the rest of what Oracle said, mainly because the world got a bit too dizzy for my liking. I fell forward, my vision going out.

* * *

 _I slowly got up, finding myself in a field once more. I turned to Janus, who was laying down on the ground._

 _"We have got to stop getting injured like this." I groaned, collapsing next to Janus. He chuckled softly._

 _ **"Believe me, I understand completely. So... that was a thing."** He said, stretching a bit. I laughed._

 _"That's one way to put it. So... we actually just cut off Reed's hand? Cause if we did, then holy shit." I said, just watching the clouds forming above us._

 ** _"You're not wrong. You know... I had a few concerns... but we did it."_** _Janus said. I turned to him._

 _"You alright there? You sound really tired." I told him, noticing his breathing. He weekly raised his hand, patting my shoulder._

 ** _"I'm fine. I... it took a lot out of me to help you out there. But we did it."_** _He told me. I chuckled._

 _"Yeah... we did. Heh. You know, I didn't think we had it in us. Was that thing with the sword you?" I asked Janus, feeling the breeze hitting me. I could see him shake his head._

 ** _"That wasn't. Didn't that idiot Orion say something about you having a semblance?"_** _He asked me, still laying down._

 _I shrugged. "Idiot he may be, he wasn't wrong. So, what do we do now?" I asked him. Silence. The only thing that I could hear was the wind picking up._

 ** _"...Honestly? I don't know. Train. Get better. Get stronger."_** _He told me. I hummed, then a though came up._

 _"Say... you know magic. Do you, and bear with me here, know any... rituals? Something involving... I don't know... anything?" I asked hopefully._

 ** _"Hmm... I suppose... I could scrounge up some recipes. Something to unlock your true potential?"_** _He continued to mutter, and I could see the world around us fading. Alright, here's to hoping I wasn't out long._

 _AN: Ah. It's good to be back. So, while this may be a huge victory for Michael, there's still a few things that are going to be done down the line. With that out of the way, I hope you guys are enjoying the story, along with the background details I added! Until next time, Read, Review and Enjoy!_


	9. Consequences

The next thing I knew, I was waking up in a hospital bed. I am never going to catch a break am I? I could hear snoring. Oh you have to be kidding me. Opening my eyes, I could see Qrow snoring his ass off. He had left his flask on a nightstand next to me. Grabbing it, I tossed it at Qrow. It impacted with a nice 'Thunk!', hitting him in the head. He jerked up, falling off his chair.

"Huh? What?" He muttered, face first in the floor.

"Welcome back you drunk. Were you supposed to be watching me or something?" I asked, grinning at the prone hunter. He gave me the bird, standing up slowly.

"Course it wasn't just me. I had him." Qrow said, jerking his thumb in a corner. Looking over, lo and behold there was a purple helmet cloaked in darkness that was staring at me. I nodded.

"Right, so at least I had _one_ competent watcher. You doing better?" I asked Oracle. He gave me a thumbs up, at least from what I could make out.

 **"Well after you passed out, I was able to calm down. It was stress talking. I'm good. Besides, I've been cleared of all charges. So to speak."** He told me, walking forward out of the shadows. His armor was still somewhat busted, the bullet holes still there. He looked a hell of a lot better than... wait a minute.

"So... how long was I out this time? Also, congrats on that." I told Oracle. I was mentally preparing in case I lost another month or so. Qrow shrugged and opened his mouth.

"About a day. Good to see you're improving on time at least." A familiar voice called out. It was Doc Rufus. Huh. Haven't seen him since I left the hospital all that time ago. Wait, a day? Nice!

"Hey Doc! Been a while." I said casually, sitting up and waving at him. Rufus rolled his eyes and smiled, looking at his charts.

"At least you waited a while before coming back here. Let's see the damage this time." He said, looking at Qrow and Oracle. The former raised his hands in surrender while the latter shrugged.

"Yeah yeah, privacy and all that. Come on, let's see if the cafeteria gives discounts to vigilantes." Qrow said, wrapping an arm around Oracle. I shook my head as the two of them walked out. Well now that they're gone, time to assess the damage.

I glanced down at myself, seeing that it was bandaged up.

"In my defense, it probably looks worse than it is. Five lien says it's healed up." I told Rufus, poking at the coverings.. He quickly shooed my hands away.

"If you've forgotten, I'm the doctor here." He told me. A blank stare was what he got in response. He sighed and started to remove the bandages slowly. Piece by piece they came off, and I could see where I was shot, bruises were starting to heal. Rufus looked up at me, not at all surprised. "Let me guess, your friend's been visiting you often now?" He asked me. I nodded.

"Yep. He's been stopping by every now and then. We just talk, but I know that he's been using his aura around me. He's always been a bit paranoid." I told Rufus. I could hear Janus sputter indignantly, and I just grinned. Rufus chuckled.

"Thank goodness for his paranoia then. That's probably what's kept you going." He told me, setting his chart down. "Well, I'll just have someone check your vitals. From I can see, you'll be out of here in no time." He told me with a wink, and walked out the door. I waited... and waited... and waited. Hey water! As I grabbed the glass next to me, the door opened once more. I took a sip and glanced over at who had entered. I promptly did a spit take at the sight that greeted me.

Allison stood in the doorway, clad in a nurses outfit. And damn she wore it well. She huffed, shutting the door behind her. "Can... can you not stare please? This was the only way I was able to see you." She said, cheeks blazing red as she walked forward. I wiped my mouth of, setting the glass to the side.

"Sorry... it's just that you make that outfit look good!" I said, giving her a grin. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "So... what's up? Did I do something?" I asked her, watching as she took out some devices. Ah right, my vitals. I let Allison move forward, poking and prodding at me. Then she pulled out something that I did not recognize. She gaped as the device glowed red.

"What the fuck?" She whispered to herself. I looked at her confused.

"Uh... I'm not dying am I?" I asked her. She shook her head, looking amazed more than anything.

"No! No. You... you have some magic within you. It's an inherent magical ability. But... that doesn't make sense. We checked you. You didn't have any magic at all." She breathed out, looking at me. Suddenly she was on top of me, looking me directly in the eyes. "How?! Do you know what this means? If someone like you, who was supposed to be a normal human being, can get powers, do you know what this means for the others?!" She told me, grabbing my shoulders.

I didn't say anything, mainly due to the fact that I had a beautiful woman on top of me. Janus on the other hand was enjoying this. His laughter almost drowned out almost everything else that was going on. It was so loud that I almost didn't hear the door open.

"Alright Mr. Galloway, let's see what we have to worry about today!" A familiar voice called out. I turned to see Orion, clad in a doctor's outfit. His back was turned to us, so he didn't realize what was happening. Allison, on the other hand, had frozen. Her face, once holding quite a bit of joy, was now looking at me in horror. Orion finally turned around to face us, pausing at the sight he walked in to. He did a double take, rubbing his eyes.

"Uh... am I... interrupting something here? Because one, Allison? Really? And two, Michael? I'm shocked, but not disappointed." He said, grinning at the two of us and giving us a thumbs up. Allison quickly hopped off me, standing up straight and fixing her clothes. With that, she took a deep breath, trying to keep calm.

"Perhaps I can explain?" She asked, trying to show off the device. Orion hadn't noticed however, looking at my charts.

"Explain what? That you were trying to get into Michael's pants? Cause he ain't a bad looking guy." He said, smiling down at the clipboard. Allison's former blush had gone at this point. Her eyes narrowed and she marched forward, grabbing a nearby bedpan. Oh hell. Orion looked up, only to get whacked in the face by Allison. Damn! That had to hurt. Then she shoved the device into his face.

"Look at this! He has magic! How the fuck does that happen? He was _non-magical_ to begin with. So either we got something wrong, you screwed up something important _again_ , or...or..." She trailed off, her face draining of whatever color she had. Then she looked back at me. "There's something else we might be dealing with." She said, bringing up the device once more.

Janus' laughter had stopped at this point, and now I was started to get concerned. Orion's face had gone cold, and he closed his eyes.

 **'What the hell is he doing?'** Janus muttered. Suddenly, I could feel some kind of pressure in my mind.

"Michael... is there someone else in your head?" Orion calmly asked me. I shook my head, trying to act natural.

* * *

(Orion's POV)

Michael's face fell for a moment, then he recovered.

"What, like Split? Cause, I'm pretty sure I would know if I was blacking out like that." He said, playing off my question. I nodded.

"So you say. Then why exactly did my little mind scan pick up some magical energy?" I asked him. His eyes flashed red for a second, and that was all I needed. "ut nos ad alium locum." I muttered, a light enveloping the hospital room. Now we were back in my office. "There's no point in hiding anymore. I just want to talk. The room will be able to accommodate you in any form you chose. Just reveal yourself." I told the spirit. A burst of shadows, and they appeared.

A burst of shadows came up from the floor next to Michael, causing both Allison and him to jump. The shadows formed into a pillar, before shooting back down. They slowly formed into the shape of a man. I couldn't make out much of what he looked like, but from what I could see, he was massive. He stood a good foot taller than Michael, with burning red eyes. His arms crossed, and he looked between myself and Michael.

 **"So... here I am. And yes, I know exactly who you are, Guardian Angel."** He said, his gaze never faltering. I nodded.

"Fair enough. So, would it be rude to ask you your name?" I asked him, sticking out my hand. He hesitated for a few moments, before moving forward.

 **"Janus. I don't remember much else about my identity."** He said, shaking my hand. Janus. Roman god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, and endings. At least, that's what I remember. Duality. Ironic, if he was with Michael this entire time. Hmm... I could see that he was truthful. Selective amnesia? Perhaps. But it wouldn't hurt to question it.

"So... if you don't mind me wondering, do you just not remember your identity, or not remember everything?" I asked him, letting go of his hand. Janus stepped back, taking a thinking position.

 **"It's... the first one. I can remember things, such as incantations and spells, fighting and shooting. I know events that happened because I was there. But other than that? The personal experiences? The feelings associated with them? Nothing else. Flashes perhaps, but that's all. The only concrete memory I have is of drifting in the abyss. It's a pain, let me tell you."** He said, shrugging. Huh. Interesting.

"So... you have been supplying Michael with magic then." I told him. He nodded. Well... this is a surprise.

 **"I refuse to become adrift once more. If that means training Michael as best as I can do, then I will."** He told me, pointing at the guy in question. He had been silent this whole time. Then he blew up... metaphorically at least.

"What the hell?! You're telling me that you had no idea he was in my head?! He's been helping me out for months already! How do you not know that?" He finally asked me, looking at me with an astonished look. I burst out laughing. "What the hell's so funny?" Michael snarled, taking a step forward. I held up my hand, trying to get my composure back.

"Oh, it's not you Michael. It's me. This is actually the start of a nervous breakdown. I'll be totally out of it later down the line. To tell you the truth, I had no honest to god idea that he was there. In fact, had I known, I wouldn't have given you those enhancements." I told him, standing tall. Allison gave me a concerned look, but I shook her off. Michael actually blanched, rubbing his head sheepishly.

"Uh... sorry. I... honestly thought you had figured it out a long time ago." He said, looking down.

"Hey don't worry about it. Know that we have that out of the way, Janus!" The shadow perked up from where he was speaking to Allison. "Do you mind if I do a test? It might be able to determine what exactly you are." I said, bringing up a small rune. Janus hesitated, then nodded. He walked over to me, holding out his hand. I placed the rune in his hand, waiting for something to happen.

And boy did something happen. It glowed a bright purple, flashing occasionally. Janus cocked his head, looking at the rune.

 **"What exactly does that mean? Is it bad?"** He asked me. I glared at the rune, trying to remember what purple flashes meant. Allison looked like she was about to faint. God, purple. Purple. Purple... what the hell does that mean again?

"Oh god..." She breathed out, taking step back. Michael noticed her fear, but didn't follow her. "You... you..." She couldn't get the words out. "Demon!" She finally squeaked out, hiding behind Michael. Oh.

I paled, looking up at Janus. He looked as indifferent as a man in shadows would be, simply shrugging. By the Creator... how was Michael even still alive?!

 **"Demon? How curious. I swear, I figured I would have just been a sorcerer, or at least some kind of magical knight. Guess I owe Michael five lien."** He said, giving Michael a thumbs up. He merely shrugged.

"Honestly, it was a wild guess. So, what's the big deal about him being a demon?" He asked me. Damnit, I forgot he doesn't know some of this stuff!

"Michael... the last demon we had to deal with destroyed the previous Outsiders." I told him, still eyeing Janus. Michael's face dropped.

"Wait, what?" He asked sharply, looking at me. I sighed, not really wanting to get into this. Oh well. It was inevitable. He would have figured out sooner or later.

"You weren't the first Outsider. You were just the first one in a good two thousand years by our time. Allison and I..." I trailed off, seeing her hyperventilating behind Michael still. "The reason we were so unprepared to deal with you is because the last time we had Outsiders... they were wiped out. Hundreds of them, all with strengths, gifts, all with knowledge. Gone. Heaven itself was almost destroyed, leaving only a few survivors left. All because one of them made a deal for more power. It took the demon one day to discover the Outsiders, one week to fully consume his host, and a month to create a ritual to destroy the rest." I said, sitting down on a chair I had summoned. Sighing, I reached for a glass I knew was full of alcohol.

"After that... we just existed. There was no other Outsiders that came to us, no one died before their time. Honestly, some wanted to just ditch the whole thing entirely. I... had other ideas. And that leads us here. With you. Honestly, with how long you've been in contact with Janus, I'm surprised that you hadn't burned out by now." I told him. Janus had stiffened during my explanation, his red eyes widening. Then his hands curled tightly into fists.

 **"To perform magic of that kind... is idiotic. From what I gather, Outsiders are meant to be powerful. They are meant to change. To destroy that change... it would take something so petty... so moronic..."** He sat down with a sigh, clutching his face. Good. That means he realizes just how dangerous this could have been. The room had become somber with all the talk that had gone down.

"Look... it's not that I doubt your intentions Janus, it's just concern. But hearing what you've done...how you've helped out Michael like this... it gives me some proof that you've had his best intentions in mind." I told him, looking over at Michael, who was busy consoling Allison. Yeah... she didn't take the war well. I waved to a door, gesturing for Michael to lead her out. He nodded, putting an arm around her and taking her out of the room. Janus nodded.

 **"Yes... he's a good kid. Just a bit... misguided at times. Seeing him help out like he has... it's given me some hope. Perhaps... helping Michael will help me regain my memories. What do you think?"** He asked me. I thought for a bit, pondering over the drink in my hand. I offered one to Janus, which he gratefully accepted.

"It's... possible. If you keep going down this route, there can be some hope for you. Would you say something is... missing? Besides your memories that is? Power? Skills? Anything?" I asked him, mentally reviewing details. Janus nodded.

 **"Power. I feel... weak. More often than not, I need to rest. I can only help Michael here and there, but anything more puts me out. I noticed that Remnant... it reeks of unused magic. I already know why, but it's still surprising. I've slowly been gaining my strength... but I'm not sure I'll ever be what I once was."** He told me, taking a sip of his drink. I hummed.

"Well... by the sound of it, if you keep helping Michael, as well as absorb as much ambient magic as possible, you should be back up to full strength. Your memories should also be back by then. If my hypothesis is correct, the reason you don't remember much is more than likely due to the fact whatever trauma you endured has repressed everything." I told him. Janus nodded.

 **"I suppose that makes sense. I've seen what trauma can do to people. It's honestly rather obvious then."** He told me. I sighed.

"Sorry. I wish there was more that I could do. Look, if you keep helping Michael, I'll do what I can for you, alright?" I told him, standing up.

Janus stood as well, merely clapping my shoulder. **"It's fine. You've at least given me some insight to my problem. Rest assured, I will _not_ let Michael fade into the night without at least some form of fighting." **He told me. I nodded.

"That's all I ask. I just hope that it's enough." I said, downing the rest of my drink. Janus did as well, laughing.

 **"It will be. Come on. Let's see how Michael's doing with your little friend."** He told me. I nodded, setting my glass down. Going through the door, I saw Allison leaning on Michael, passed out. Michael looked at me, slightly torn.

"She told you about the war I assume?" I asked him. He nodded shakily, looking extremely pale.

"Yeah, she did. Did... all that really happen?" He asked me lowly. Janus looked intrigued, while I cocked my head.

"Which part? The part where most of the worlds we inhabited burned? The bad guys winning and ruining everything? Or maybe the fact that it lasted for the better part of a hundred years? Yes, to everything." I said, sighing and closing my eyes. The destruction of planets and the screams of millions still haunted my nightmares. I shook my head, ignoring the cries. Michael shook his head.

"How the hell do you-" I cut him off, holding my hand up.

"Live with it? Practice and booze. More of the latter really, but that's besides the point. Janus and I have been talking. Considering your actions, as well as his... we've come to an agreement. You two can still work together." I said. Allison's eyes widened, but I motioned to her that we would talk later. Michael looked shocked, but pleased. Janus nodded.

 **"You know, this could work well. But... just a heads up. We might need some alchemical components from time to time. Michael needs some help, and I'm happy to provide."** He told me, walking up next to me. I looked towards him warily.

"What... exactly do you need? Because it will _not_ be something like angel tears or anything like that." I said, glancing over at Allison. Janus shook his head.

 **"No, nothing like that. Just the occasional dragon scale if you could. Maybe some gold here and there."** He said, slowly muttering to himself. Michael cleared his throat.

"So... this has been great and all, but can we get back to the hospital? It'd be kinda weird if someone walked in to find my gone...again." He said, paling at the thought. I shook my head.

"Don't worry. Time's different here. But can you do me a favor? Can you and Janus step out for a moment? I need to speak with Allison." I said, pointing to the door we came through. The two of them nodded, with Janus leading the way.

 **"Come on. It's time to get you started in magical lessons."** He said, bringing up a hand. With that, the two of them walked out. As soon as they did, I could feel the room chill. Allison had recovered by this point, and was now glaring at me through the tears in her eyes.

"How... how can you just talk to him like that?" She whispered, standing up. I was about to speak but she continued. "You know what he is! You know what he's capable of! Why!?" She ran up to me and was slamming her hands into my chest. I simply stood there, taking the hits. "Why? Why?" She was sobbing by this point. Shit. I pulled her into a hug, shushing her.

"I know, I know. Look I... I know that you're going to hate me, but this needs to happen." I told her. The tears were still falling, but they had slowed down a bit thankfully. I sighed. "Michael has... such amazing potential. You and I both know this. But... he's not ready. He's literally a man in over his head. But with the right help, he could do so much. And Janus? After... talking to him, I realized that he truly wants to help Michael. Besides, Michael can't exactly operate alone. He's..." I trailed off. Damn, what'st the word I was looking for?

"A moron?" Allison said, muffled by my shirt. I snickered. She was snarking. Good.

"Yeah. A moron. He means well, but sometimes he's a bit dense." I said, letting go of her. Allison stepped back, wiping her eyes a bit. She snickered when I winked. "Now come on, let's see how those guys are doing." I told her. Hopefully they haven't burned anything down yet.

* * *

(Michael's POV)

I stared at Janus's open hands. In one, mist danced rapidly around the palm. In the other, dust slowly formed, shifting into a small piece of rock.

 **"On of the key fundamentals to magic is to understand what you're using. Everything in this universe is made up of some combination of the four magical elements: Air, Fire, Water and Earth. Each one holds power of some kind. Air is free flowing, ever moving. It represents the beginning, because in order to create, you have to start with air. Fire is chaos, pure rage and might. It represents the will, the action and manifestation of a person. Water is smooth, calm yet powerful. It represents the passion, the flow and emotions of a person. Earth is pure strength, the everlasting defense. It represents the physical manifestation of magic, the final part of creation. Are you with me so far?"** He finally asked me, closing his hands. I nodded, gesturing at Janus' hands.

"So... is this the essentials? Or is there more to this than just these four elements?" I asked. I swore I could see him grin.

 **"Good! You're asking questions! Always ask questions when it comes to magic!"** He said, clapping. Then he snapped his fingers, bringing up an array of cubes in one hand. They shot forward, revealing multiple images. **"To answer your question, I just showed you to basics to use just elemental magic. There are other things to do besides summoning elements. I can show you how to brew alchemical formulas, access forgotten relics, enchant weapons of power, help you bend reality itself. Do you understand?"** He asked me, waving his hand. Suddenly the images dispersed, fading away. I nodded.

"Yeah. I got it. So... when can we get started?" I asked him, holding up my hand. Janus nodded.

 **"You're eager. That's good. We can do basic stuff first, try not to overwhelm you."** He said, bringing up his right hand. Slowly, I could see something form. **"Try to summon air. Clear your mind of all unnecessary thoughts. Only focus on your surroundings. Close your eyes. Feel your surroundings."** He told me. I obliged, shutting my eyes tightly. Okay...clear my mind. Clear my mind. Clear. Clear. Ya know, if I keep thinking like this, I doubt that I can clear my mind. I mean, how the hell can I just clear my mind? Opening my eyes, they nearly bulged out of my sockets. In my hands, air shifted and twirled around in my palms. I could feel the energy swarming around me, the wind shifting in my hands. HOLY SHIT! I laughed, holding up my hands.

"I'm doing it! I'm doing magic!" I shouted to him, whooping. That's when Orion and Allison walked in. Their jaws dropped to the floor as they saw my hands. "Hey guys! Check this out!" I told them, waving my hands. Janus raised an arm.

 **"Wait, don't-"** He was cut off as I was sent flying back, the wind in my hands shifting and sending me flying back. I hit the wall, but thankfully didn't hit my head. I stood up groggily, the air disappearing. Janus shook his head, facepalming. **"Control. We need to work on control. Now we can help you form the basics, we have to make sure you don't burn down our apartment by accident."** He told me. I paled rapidly, my mind instantly going to everyone else at Gunslinger. Janus waved me off. **"Don't worry, you'll be able to control it soon enough. Although, I suppose this is good progress. Considering the fact that you did what normally takes hours to accomplish, I'd say that you're a natural."** He said, clapping his hands.

"Holy shit. He's doing it." That came from Allison, who was looking way better than before. Yeah, that's about right. I groaned, shaking my head. Wow that was bad.

"Okay... well that was surprising." I muttered, closing my hands. Holy Shit. I just did magic! Oh man. Orion walked up behind me, patting me on the back.

"Alright! That's what I'm talking about! Now, let's get you back to the hospital room. Don't want anyone to know you disappeared." He said. Then he turned over to Janus. "It's been a pleasure meeting you Janus. Good luck out there!" He said, snapping his fingers and muttering another phrase. A flash of light, and now we were back in my room. I was back in my bed, Orion and Allison in front of me. Janus was back in my head.

 **'Oh my young pupil, we've just begun. Don't worry, this... is going to be fun.'** He muttered, disappearing just as quickly as he came. Well isn't that promising? Orion cleared his throat.

"Right then Mr. Galloway, looking at these results here, I'd say you've made an incredible recovery! Let me just go and sign you out." He told me, giving me a wink. Then he turned and walked out of the room. That just left me and Allison. Oh boy. Awkward silences. Was never good with these. Finally, one of us spoke up.

"Hey." Allison said. It was meek, but at the same time attention grabbing. I looked over at her, and she sighed. "I'm... sorry that I went off like that earlier. We just found out one of the others is in a bit of a situation." She said, sighing.

"Others?" I blurted out, my mind blanking. Allison gave me a small smile.

"One of the other Outsiders." She said softly. Oh. You know... I don't know anything about these guys... like at all.

"So... just out of curiosity, can you tell me anything about these guys?" I asked her. She grinned, giving me a nod.

"Sure." She said, taking a seat next to me. "Where to start...? I guess with the one that came right after you did. His name is Johnathan Mercer. You might know his brother Alex a bit more." She said, chuckling at my expression. Alex... Mercer. Holy Shit. I weakly gestured for her to continue. "He's... in the middle of the first outbreak. He's trying to keep Alex human through it all. He's a good guy, if a bit hard-headed at times. The next one... he's definitely in a bit of a situation. His name is Nathan Walker, he's twelve years old and he's stuck in Operation: Snake Eater. Long story short, Orion is a bit peeved at the fact that this happened." She told me, grinning. Guess she was just glad to be able to talk to someone.

"So... he's a twelve year old? Didn't know that Outsiders were that young." I said, chuckling at the image. Allison scoffed, still grinning.

"Nope. At least this one isn't. He was originally gong to be in his late twenties or early thirties, but something happened in transit. It's funny, he's actually rather adorable." She told me, pulling up a phone. On the screen was a kid with silver hair and blood red eyes, dressed in torn fatigues. He was trying, and failing mind you, to glare at the camera. I chuckled.

"Cute kid. He the only one with transit issues? If you don't mind me asking at least." I quickly told her, realizing that it might not do good to imply that these mix ups were common. Allison just waved me off.

"It's fine. We've only got one more Outsider to talk about. The newest one. His name's Ethan Morgan. Let's just say that he's dealing with a bit of a Reaper problem." She told me, putting emphasize on Reaper. Wait a minute...

"Holy shit. You really put him there? I mean... Mass Effect? Shit. That's a bit harsh don't you think?" I asked her incredulously. She sighed, massaging her forehead.

"Tell me about it. Orion gave him a choice. It was between that, Deus Ex and Dishonored. I would have just sent him to one of the latter ones, but Orion had full control over that. That's what I meant by situation. Considering what you're going to be able to accomplish soon, I might need your help. You think that may be an issue?" She asked me. I paled, considering my options. Allison nodded, thinking I had already answered her. I tapped the side of my head, trying to point out that I was discussing with Janus.

'What do you think? Should we try it?' I asked him. I heard a hum, then muttering.

 **'Honestly... I think it would be a good idea. With enough time, I might be able to make it so that you could survive nearly anything thrown at you here. I don't think it would be an issue to move to another world. That is if it isn't a one way trip.'** He warned me. That...is a great point!

"Just to clarify... not that I'm saying no, but is this a one way trip or... are we gonna be able to come back here?" I asked Allison. She nodded, grinning.

"Don't worry. I have someone working on it. You won't be stuck in that world longer than you need to. Does that mean you're in?" She asked me hopefully. Janus mentally shrugged... I think.

 **'Why not? The poor girl's gonna need our help anyways.'** He told me, fading away once more. I nodded.

"We're in. Don't worry, we'll be ready. And give this Morgan kid my regards. Sounds like he'll need it." I said, walking over to my jacket. Huh. It wasn't damaged at all in the fighting. Neat. Reaching into one of the pockets, I found what I was looking for. A Morningstar card. I wrote a small message on it, then flicked it over to Allison, letting her catch it. She sighed in relief, pocketing the card.

"Thank you... both of you." She told us. Heh. 'Guess she's warming up to you J.' I told him. Nothing. That's when Orion walked back in.

"Alright, good news! You're good to go." He told me, walking over and handing me a shirt. I grabbed it, giving him a mock salute.

"Thanks a lot 'Doc'." I told him, putting it on. It just occurred to me that I've been shirtless this entire time. Ah well. Orion simply gave me a grin. I was about to tell him off when the door slammed open, bringing Qrow and Oracle back into the room. "Oh, hey guys. Good news, I've just been released." I told them, grinning and putting on my jacket. Qrow stumbled a bit, but regained his footing.

"That's... why we came back. Oz said to keep an eye on you. It's what I'm gonna do." He said, slurring a bit. Oh for god's sake, he's drunk isn't he? Wait no... if he was drunk it would be worse I imagine. Buzzed more likely. Oracle said nothing, simply staring at Orion. If looks could kill... well let's just say it wasn't pretty.

Noticing the tension in room, I clapped my hands. "So! I suppose it's time to meet Ozpin. Qrow was it? He close by?" I asked. He nodded.

"Sure. He's a couple of rooms down. Working out the details for Danton's care here. Gotta say, didn't expect you to slice off his hand like that. Not bad kid. Not bad at all." He told me, walking out of the room. I turned to Oracle, still staring at Orion, who was oblivious to this. I cleared my throat.

"You coming man?" I asked him. He shook his head, facing me.

 **"Sorry. Yeah. Let's get going."** He said, following me as I walked out the door. Thankfully Qrow waited for us, and we caught up with him right away. What a sight we made. A dusty old man with a sword on his back, a kid straight out of recovery, and a previously wanted vigilante. Heh, sounds like the start of a bad joke. We finally made it to where we needed to be. Qrow knocked on the door, letting himself in. Oracle and I looked at each other, shrugged and followed.

Inside the room was Ozpin, speaking to a what appeared to be a doctor. Behind Ozpin was a tall, blonde woman. She wore dress clothes and held a riding crop in her hand. Glynda Goodwitch. Huh. I guess I forgot that Ozpin is the headmaster of Beacon. I don't know, I guess it never occurred to me. Qrow raised a hand in greetings.

"Hey Oz. Hope we ain't interrupting anything major here." He said, leaning on the doorframe. Goodwitch simply rolled her eyes, while Ozpin looked amused.

"No actually. We just finished up here. Thank you Dr. Earl. We can take things from here." He told the man across from him. The doctor nodded, taking that as his leave. When he left the room, Oracle and I walked in, letting Qrow close the door behind us. I walked up to Ozpin and Goodwitch, extending my hand.

"Professor. It's a good to see you again. Ma'am. A pleasure to meet you." I told the two of them. Ozpin shook my hand, while Goodwitch nodded to me.

"Michael Galloway. I had hopped to meet again under... different circumstances, but this will suffice. Congratulations are in order." He told me. Wait what?

"Sorry? What exactly do you mean?" I asked him. He raised an eyebrow.

"Danton's capture was a rather impressive feat, especially for one such as yourself. A detective managing to take out a criminal with that many deaths behind them and with a bounty that high? It certainly caught the public's attention. It would be safe to bet that reporters are going to be lining up to meet the man responsible for taking down the 'Terror of Vale'. That and the reward that came with Danton's capture in the first place." He told me, giving me a smile. Ah crap. Reporters. And really? 'Terror of Vale'? As if Reed needed a bigger ego. Oracle chuckled and patted my back.

 **"Good luck there kid. You're gonna need it. They'll hound you until you finally give in. Just tell them the details you want them to know and that's it."** He told me. I shook my head.

"Just so we're clear, I didn't mean for... any of that to happen. My building still standing? It was hard to tell with all the chaos." I asked. Oracle simply chuckled while Ozpin shrugged.

"The only true damage was to the door and the window. It's been replaced, rest assured. As for Danton... It's unfortunate, but it happens. Though I do have to wonder how he discovered you." He said, looking at Oracle, who looked rather sheepish.

 **"That was... mainly my fault. I had tracked down some of Reed's associates, but it turns out he was visiting them too. They had just given him information on where to find you. Guess he accelerated his plans when I showed up."** He said, rubbing his head. I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Well... I suppose that it's better than him getting the drop on me at home. Thanks I guess." I told him. Turning back to Ozpin, something clicked.

"Wait... did you say bounty?" I asked him slowly. He nodded.

"Danton was wanted alive, with a five hundred thousand lien reward behind him. Well done." He said, checking something on his scroll. Did... he...Five... Hundred... Thousand? Oh god I need a seat... or a drink...or both. I fell back, holding my head. Qrow brought out his flask, waving it in my face.

"You want some? Think that it would help out a bit, at least considering the stuff you keep finding out." He muttered. I took the flask, downing at least half of it.

"Now then... what else is there to deal with?" I asked Ozpin.

* * *

Thankfully there wasn't much else. He was just there to tell me that it was a job well done. I was thankfully out of the hospital after that. Oracle disappeared after that, saying he needed to finish some business. Maria had already left, gone in the wind. I finally was able to get back to the office, which wasn't looking half bad. The windows and door were all fixed up, and the whole place looked like it got a new paint job. All in all, not bad.

Hey, there's new stuff! A couch... A new television? Phone? Minifridge... with booze? Sweet! Looking around, I saw that everything else was in working order, so that's good. All the stuff I had collected was fine, thank god.

On my desk, I found a few things. My scroll, the Colt, and a note. Guess I should read the note first. Opening it, I was met with amazing handwriting.

 _Michael_

 _I... first of all, I must say thank you. You gave me closure that I did not know I needed. That man was not Danton. He may have had his skills, his face, but not his heart. That is all I needed to know. I must go on now. There is more out there to hunt. All I can say is thank you, and leave you something. Consider this a gift from a friend. Until the next time we meet_

 _Maria_

Glancing down, I could see a large metal box next to my desk. It looked like a steamer trunk... but more advanced. Next to it was a smaller metal box. Huh. Wonder what's in here? I opened up the larger one, slightly gasping in surprise. Whoa. Inside was... a beautiful black leather coat. Next to it was matching gloves and boots, along with a... fedora. Honestly, this stuff doesn't look that bad. Guess it wouldn't hurt to try this stuff on. I quickly moved, humming when I noticed that it was a perfect fit. Looking to my left, I saw a mirror.

Nice. I'm really pulling off the whole private detective thing now. And honestly... while the fedora was a bit cliche, I liked it! Oh yeah, this is totally my new work outfit. While I was admiring my new clothing, I glanced down at the other box. Five bucks says that it's a new gun or something. Opening it, my guess was right.

It was a revolver. A beautiful, masterly crafted revolver. It was blue in color, the metal gleaming in the light. Picking it up, I could tell it had good weight to it. The barrel alone was a good eight inches long. The grip was dark, polished well oiled wood. Carved into the right side of the grip was a star. Etched on the side of the barrel was the word 'Venandi.' Latin, I know it. Hunter. I didn't immediately recognize gun itself, but Janus did.

 **'That's... a Smith and Wesson Model 460. Built to be one of the most versatile guns in the market. With both single action and double action modes, it can fire anywhere from .45 caliber rounds to .460 rounds. This... beast was meant to damage. Perfect for Grimm hunting... or interrogation.'** He said, reverence evident in his voice. I don't know what just hit me, but I twirled the gun in my hand. Dear god... this thing was beautiful. Did I already say that? Doesn't matter. Looking back in the smaller case, I saw boxes ammo, a holster along with a...knife? Setting the revolver down carefully, I moved to pick up the knife.

It wasn't that bad either. Sharp blade, serrated edge. Perfect for slicing or cutting. Not bad at all. The door behind me opened, and I heard a chuckle.

 **"Well... she did say that it was for a friend."** I heard Oracle say. Turning back, I saw him leaning against the door, looking at my new attire and weapons. He was wearing a white, cleaner, non damaged version of his armor. In his one of his hands he held a small box.

"What makes you say that?" I asked him, putting the knife back in it's sheath. He shrugged.

 **"Saw that Maria woman had some cases on her earlier. Told me that they were for someone important. Guess she wasn't wrong."** He told me, pushing off the door and walking over to me. He set the box on my desk, opening it.

"So... first of all, is it good for you to just walk around like this? Secondly, what's with the armor? Thirdly, what's that? Something for me I'm guessing?" I asked him, putting the my new weapons back into their case. Oracle shrugged.

 **"To answer your questions: I've been cleared, remember? I'm fine in public. Secondly, my other armor is currently being repaired. Figured I could bust out the spare for now. Finally, this is your payment for dealing with Danton."** He said, opening the case. Inside was... an exact replica of the Colt he had first given me, except this one had silver metal instead of black. I looked at him blankly, trying to figure out how he found another one. Oracle shrugged once again.

 **"I figured you would want the brother gun. The one I gave you was meant to be fired from the left hand. This one was meant to be fired from the right. This gun alone is worth at least a couple thousand lien. Besides, you've got the bounty to help out."** He told me, reaching into the case and passing me a holster. Heh. Talk about a good day. I smiled, taking the holster off his hands.

"Thanks. I appreciate it. What are you gonna do now?" I asked him strapping the holster. Oracle shrugged.

 **"Just do what I usually do. Watch over the city. Make sure that corruption doesn't rise. You?"** He asked me, shutting the case. I simply chuckled, taking off my coat and taking a seat behind my new desk. Looking through it, I found a bottle of scotch and two glasses. I poured the bottle's contents into the glasses, passing one to Oracle. He took it, turning around taking off his helmet... I think. Well I heard a weird noise, so either he collapsed it or something. I raised the glass, silently giving myself a toast.

"What am I going to do? I am going to relax and take some simple cases. Just... let life take it's course." I told him, downing the glass. Oracle chuckled and turned to me, having finished his glass and putting his helmet back on.

 **"That sounds like a plan. Well, guess I'll take my leave then. If you need any help, just call. I'll be there."** He told me, nodding and walking out of my office. Heh. I poured another glass, downing it as well. Godspeed you bastard. Then I sighed, leaning back.

Damn. These past few weeks have been hell. I'm surprised I haven't snapped yet. Ah well, I'll figure something out. Don't know what I'll do, but I can do something. Maybe. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. Bah, enough reminiscing. Time to get to work. Guess if I can't do anything about my mental health, I can just go the workaholic route. It usually helps.

I slipped on all of the holsters, strapping my new revolver to the small of my back, and the Colts to my sides. I need a new name for these things... another time. I slipped on my coat, gloves, boots and fedora. On the bright side, I definitely look the part of private detective now. Now all I have to do is wait. That's when my phone started to ring. I chuckled, picking it up.

"Morningstar Investigations. Galloway speaking." I said. Oh yeah, it's good to be back.

 _AN: Hey everyone! My muse has come back to me a little bit easier, so this chapter was a breeze! Hope you guys enjoyed it! How am I doing on the whole 'world building' I'm trying out here? Honest opinions you know? Anyway, until next time, Read, Review and Enjoy!_


	10. Unexpected

_Log Entry 3_

 _Date: 8/17/80_

 _It's been a few weeks since Danton's capture. And good god has it been irritating. Ozpin was right. The media found out about me, and they pestered me non stop. It was simply surprise interview after interview, talking in front of a camera constantly. God, it made me want to tear my hair out. On the bright side, business started booming. I guess some people wanted to have a famous person working for them._

 _Thankfully, the media thing died down last week, so I've just been here working on cases. Gotta pay the bills somehow you know? That and I've been training even more now. You know, I feel like I've forgotten to do something, but for the life of me I just can't remember... huh._

 _Anyways_ _, after I'm done here, I've got an appointment to make. Thanks for being here buddy._

 _Michael_

 **(Addendum: Michael has shown an amazing rate of higher learning. Might have him work on more complex magic soon. For now, simple steps involving elements will have to suffice. Also, recently discovered an old ritual that might be able to strengthen Michael even further. Do not know how many forces Salem has at her disposal, so it is best to be prepared. The ritual mentioned is vital. It could be of some use for us. As much as Michael does not want to admit it, we need more strength. It will be the only thing we have on us in extreme cases like Reed. Janus)**

* * *

I let out a breath, trying to keep it cool. My hands were gripped tightly. Okay…. I got this. I got this. Then someone clapped my shoulder.

"Hey Mike. So, how's it feel?" Midas asked me, gesturing to the steering wheel in my grip. He grinned, noticing my look. "You like it." He told me. I didn't say anything, just nodding and grinning. I was checking out this old car that he had offered me, considering the fact that I... didn't exactly have any mode of transportation besides walking and public transport. Imagine my surprise when I found out Midas had this bad boy in storage.

I took a deep breath, getting a feel for the car. I didn't know what it was called here, but in my old world this would have been a 1970 Ford Mustang. It was painted a cool black, had a manual transmission, had four doors which I don't even think exi and was in _very_ good condition. It was just like Mom's car. I shook my head, pushing back the memories. I can reminisce later. Right now, I just want to drive. Midas hopped out, turning to me.

"Take it for a spin! Go on!" He told me, grinning and shutting the door. Heh. That's all I needed to hear. Thankfully we had found an empty lot, so I could drive as much as I pleased. I revved the engine, a grin plastered on my face. I tore through the lot, driving around in circles. I whooped, rolling down the window on my side. I wasn't gonna stick my head out, I just wanted to feel the air on my face. Oh man I missed this!

"Yeah!" I yelled, finishing off my drive with one last drive around. Parking the car, I hopped out. Midas stood there with a grin on his face.

"So... you want it?" He asked me. I nodded, smile still on my face.

"Hell yeah! How much?" I asked him, reaching for my scroll. Midas shook his head. Oh here we go again.

"Take it. I don't need it, and you probably do." He told me. I shook my head. This guy was too nice sometimes.

"I have money. I ain't just letting you give me this. Here, 100,000 lien." I said, waving my scroll. Now before you say anything, I was basically offering him twenty grand in Earth money. I'm _not_ just gonna let him give me this thing. Midas sighed.

"Alright you persistent bastard. I'll take it. Now go on, I need to get back to work." He told me, handing me some documents. Glancing over it, I saw that it was just the stuff I needed to show this was my car now. Jackpot. I smirked and pocketed the papers.

"Thanks Midas. I owe you one." I told him, hopping into my car. Time to do some errands. First on the list: Stop by Smelts of Heaven. I need to get some work done. Wait a minute... damn. Almost forgot that my guns were at the shop. Good thing that it's on the way. Less time to waste.

* * *

Let's see... inventory check time! Clothes? My ever stylish coat is looking fine as ever, my gloves were on perfectly and my boots were shined. Claymore? Stored in the back of my car. Revolver? Strapped to my back. 10 mil? Strapped to my right shoulder. Dart gun? On my hip. Twin Colts? In their respective cases and unloaded. Knife? Strapped to my leg. Alright, looks like I'm good to go!

Thankfully with my car, what would have taken me a good twenty minutes only took me five or so. Parking outside of Smelts of Heaven, I reached to my backseat, bringing out my Claymore case. With that strapped to my back, I went to the trunk and brought out the Colts. Good. I went inside, making myself known.

"Hello? Anyone here?" I called out, already knowing the answer. A red blur shot out from the back, resting behind the counter.

"Hey Mike! Good to see ya!" Lily said, beaming at me. I chuckled, setting down my cases.

"Hey Lily. How's the shop doing? Anything good?" I asked her, looking around. She nodded rapidly.

"Yep! Sales are getting better every day, I'm learning more, and to top it all off Mom just made a good deal with Beacon!" She told me, hopping from one foot to another. She went on and on, and I let her. Lily loved to talk, so I let her do so. Honestly, it was rather adorable to see her so excited. She was in the middle of telling me about a new gun she was working on when she blanched. "You... came here for something didn't you? And I've been distracting you haven't I?" She asked, sighing and rubbing her eyes. I waved her off.

"It's fine, really. Look, I just need your help with these." I told her, chuckling at her attempts to stop herself. I brought up the Colts, opening their cases. Lily's eyes widened as she started to examine the guns with clear interest.

"Where... where on Remnant did you get these?" She breathed out, holding the silver Colt in her hands. I chuckled. She loved these things apparently. That meant they were good.

"Got them from a friend. So... what can you tell me about them?" I asked her. Her eyes roamed across the guns in her examination.

"The barrels for both of them have a polygonal rifling, which means they have better range and accuracy. Each of the magazines have been modified so that you can reload at a rapid pace, hence the drop mag. Most of the parts that the guns use were forged in Atlas, all of which were from a prominent arms company set there." She rattled off. Huh. Well... that's pretty good. I think. Then Lily's eyes widened. "Wait... why exactly did you bring these here? They're in perfect condition." She said, still holding the silver Colt. Heh, she's not wrong. I nodded.

"You're right. But I didn't come in to repair them. I came in hoping you can help me customize them." I said, a grin hitting my face as I saw Lily's expression morph. First was shock, then hesitance, then pure joy. Oh this is gonna be fun.

"Of course! Come on! We have a variety of options for you to take on!" She told me, setting the Colts into their cases and passing them to me. She shot off to another section of the store, damn near beaming all the way. I was able to catch up to her, noticing that she was standing next to a bunch of machines. "So, here's what we have available right now! We can get a new grip in place, some new internal components, maybe a new slide, oh oh how about a making it into a transforming weapon!" She told me, showing off the various parts. Oh boy.

I moved my hand, covering her mouth and cutting off her babbling. "Lily? I know this is something you really love to do, but I need you to breathe. Okay?" I told her, hoping she would catch her breath. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. I raised an eyebrow, looking at her. "Better?" I asked her. She sheepishly nodded, and I removed my hand. I gave her a small smile. "Sorry, but you told me to let you know if you started to ramble." I told her, grinning and rubbing my head. She shrugged, still smiling.

"It's fine! Really!" She told me, putting down some of the tools. Then she cleared her throat. "So then, how can Smelts of Heaven help you today sir?" She asked in her most professional, snotty voice. I snickered slightly, then it turned into full on laughter. Lily joined me, and we just stood there laughing for the better part of five minutes.

I wiped my eyes, still smiling. "In all seriousness, I just want to engrave these things. Figured that it wouldn't hurt to name them. Besides, I've gotten tired of calling them Colts." I told her. She nodded, eyes lighting up.

"Alright, that's simple enough. So, I've got an idea of what to do here. I need to start up the engraver. This'll take a few minutes." She told me, flipping a switch on one of the machines. Okay then. I took the Colts out of their cases, setting them aside. Lily took out a small notepad. "So, what do you want on your guns? A symbol? The names? Something else?" She asked me. I nodded. It took a while, and more often than not involved me wanting to strangle Janus, but we finally came to an agreement.

"The second one. For this one, I want to call it Lux." I said, pointing the silver one. Then I pointed to the black one. "This one I wanted to call Umbra. Think that could work?" I asked her. She hummed, scribbling in her notepad. Then she showed me two pictures.

"So I can do this two ways. I can have it engraved along the barrel of the guns, or I can have it engraved on the grip. Which on would you prefer?" She asked me, showing me the images. Huh. I pointed to the drawing of the barrel.

"That one. I'm liking that one more. Seems like the more practical option." I said, grabbing the Colts and handing them to her. Lily smiled.

"That's all I need. Come on by tomorrow and I'll be done with them. Is that alright?" She asked me, pushing some more buttons on the machine. I nodded.

"Yeah. That sounds fine. How much?" I asked her. Lily shook her head. Nope. I ain't taking charity. "Look, just because we're friends doesn't mean you can't charge me. So how much is this gonna cost?" I asked once more. Lily shrugged.

"I was gonna say no charge because this would be good experience for me. I haven't done much engraving, so this'll be fun!" She told me, smiling brightly. Oh. Well I guess that makes sense. I nodded.

"Alright then. If that's what you want then go ahead." I tell her. Then I heard the door in front open. A person walked in by the sounds of things. There was some excited squealing, but it was muffled. Ignoring that, I turned back to Lily.

"So, quick question. Is your mom in? I have something I want to do with my sword." I told her. She shook her head.

"Nope. Today's her off day. But you can stop by tomorrow. I'll have your guns ready, and Mom can help you out." She told me. I nodded. Not like I was doing much tomorrow anyway.

"Fair enough. I'll just get some ammo then I'll be out of your hair." I told Lily, letting her work on my guns for a bit. Walking out of the back, I could make out a figure who made me freeze.

She was a girl who had black hair with red highlights, wore mostly black clothing, and wore a red cape. On her back she had a large metal red block. Two silver eyes gazed around the store. Ruby Rose. Oh shit. Huh, what are the odds of that? Well this is a weapons shop so... whatever. I shrugged and walked over to the ammo. Just don't make a big deal out of this and you'll be fine Mike.

Let's see... I didn't need 10mm, that one was thankfully fine. Actually come to think of it, I really only needed to get .45 caliber rounds. Thankfully I found a few boxes. Nice! Then I felt a tap on my shoulder. Turning around, I saw Ruby looking up at me.

"Uh... excuse me? Can you pass me those please?" She asked me, pointing up. Following her finger, I noticed a box of .50 caliber rounds. I shrugged.

"Sure. How many boxes do you need?" I asked her, reaching up.

"Oh just four or five!" She said excitedly. I obliged, getting the boxes and passing them to her. Damn, these things had a bit of weight to them.

"There you go kid." I told her, walking to the counter. Thankfully Lily was already in the front, so I didn't have to worry about waiting for her.

"Find everything you needed Michael?" She asked me, glancing at the boxes and scanning them. I nodded, paying for the ammo and putting it into a bag.

"Yeah. Like I said, I just needed the engravings, plus these. I'll see you later." I told her, giving her a small wave. With that I was about to walk out of the store. At least that's what would have happened had Ruby not gasped and damn near appeared in front of me.

"You're Michael Galloway! I saw you on the news!" She squealed, hopping from one foot to another. I blinked, trying to shake off the shock. Right. Forgot about that part. I recovered quickly, nodding and smiling at her.

"Yep. That's me. Something I can do for you miss..." I trailed off, playing that I had no idea who she was. She blanched, turning red. Behind her, I could see Lily was trying to hold in her laughter.

"Right! I'm a complete stranger who just approached you all of the sudden. I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose!" She told me, sticking out her hand. I chuckled and shook it.

"Pleasure to meet you kid. So, what can I do for you?" I asked her, setting my boxes of ammo down. Ruby seemed a bit dazed that I was talking to her, but she quickly shook it off.

"Right! So... I'm a really big fan of yours! I saw you on the news a while ago, and that was sooo awesome how you took down that hunter." She said, smiling brightly. Huh. Didn't think I was all that impressive. I shrugged.

"I mean, I don't think that I did all that much. It was mainly Oracle and another hunter that did it." I told her. She shook her head.

"Nope! I heard from my Uncle that you put up a heck of a fight! I mean, you're untrained and you helped take down a trained hunter!" She said, grinning excitedly.

"And who exactly is your uncle? Was he one of my clients?" I asked, feigning ignorance once more. She shook her head again."

"Nope! His name's Qrow. And he's all..." She trailed off, doing small karate poses. Heh. Cute. I snapped my fingers, suddenly 'remembering' him clearly.

"Red cape? A bit disheveled? Giant sword? Loves his drinks? Smells like a bar?" I asked, listing off what I definitely knew about Qrow. She grinned and nodded rapidly.

"Yep! That's him! He told me how you were all like 'You're not getting away this time.'" She growled, trying to imitate my voice. Heh, Qrow was singing my praises apparently. I smirked.

"Yeah... I guess you can say that. Wait... what's that on your back?" I asked, pointing to Crescent Rose. She beamed and Lily was visibly grinning.

"This is my baby! Check it out!" She told me, unfolding Crescent Rose. I moved out of the way of the admittedly large blade, watching it unfold.

"Holy shit." I muttered, looking at the weapon in awe. It was one thing to see it on screen, it was another to look at it in person. "You... you made this? You're going to be a huntress or something?" I asked her. She nodded proudly.

"Yep! I wanna help people, so I needed something to do. So Qrow gave me a few tips, but I did most of the work myself. It has this and a sniper rifle mode!" She said, switching it into it's gun mode. I hummed.

"That explains the rounds then." I said, looking at the gun. Then I blinked. Wait a minute... isn't she supposed to be shy and all that? Why did she approach me? Guess it wouldn't hurt to ask. "So, did you just want to meet me?" I asked her. Ruby paused, apparently trying to gather up the courage to tell me something else.

"Well... that and...canIhaveyourautographplease?" She blurted out. Huh. Well... that's a first. I shrugged.

"Sure. Why not?" I said, reaching into my coat to grab a pen. Looking up, I saw that she had a small notepad in her hands. Heh. She was prepared. Not bad. She handed the notepad to me and I took it. Figured I should leave her a message.

 _'To Ruby Rose, who I had the pleasure of meeting today. Good luck with your path kid. It won't be easy, but I have faith you'll get there._

 _Michael Galloway'_

I gave the notepad back to her, flashing her a quick smile. She was beaming, holding the notepad to her chest.

"It was nice meeting you Ruby. Hope we meet again." I told her, giving a wave to Lily and walking out the door. Well that was fun. Then I heard grumbling.

 **'Michael... it's time.'** Janus told me. Oh...right. Forgot about that. Heh. Time to head to the office. Hopping in my car, my mind wandered to what I needed.

 **'Some of your blood is vital for this procedure. Another thing we're going to need is a rough gem of some kind. A few angel feathers. Finally we will need... a couple of dragon hearts .'** He muttered, listing off the necessary items.

'Eh... how the hell am I going to get that last two again?' I asked. Janus didn't respond, simply taking control of my right arm and bringing up my scroll. Then he pointed to a single name on it. Orion. With that, he let me have control back. Gah! I hate it when he does that. Shaking my head, I called Orion.

I was met with the sounds of screeching, along with gunfire.

"Hello?" Orion said, sounding slightly out of breath.

"Uh... is this a bad time? Cause I can call back." I told him, ready to hang up. I heard a cackle, then a rather unpleasant squelching sound.

"Nah, it's fine. Just cleaning up a loose end. What's up?" He asked me. I chuckled sheepishly, trying to word this correctly.

"Uh.. Janus and I were talking. We're trying to do a spell, so we need some components." I told him.

"Alright! What'd you guys need?" He asked, the sound of a moan calling out near him.

"Oh... I need some dragon hearts. Is that gonna be an issue?" I asked him. I heard a few roars in response.

"Ah, does it matter what kind of dragon?" He asked, sounding a bit sheepish. Hmm. 'J? Does it?' I mentally called out.

 **'Nope. Just as long as it's a dragon and not a drake. That's the only thing.'** He said, going back to his mutterings.

"Nah. Just not any drakes alright? Oh, and we're gonna need a rough gem. Think you can manage that?" I continued, parking my car in front of Morningstar. Figured I should come here instead of home.

"Gem? Sure. I got hundreds of those. Anything else?" He asked, the sound of jangling catching my attention. Best not to ask where he was getting these things. Let's see... hearts, gems... oh.

"Uh... Angel feathers." I mumbled, nearly forgetting that last one. Orion coughed.

"Can... can you repeat that?" He said, clearly not hearing my correctly. I sighed, rubbing my eyes.

"I... I need angel feathers. Not sure how that will work, but it's what I need." I said, cringing and waiting for his response.

"Oh. I'll send Allison. Don't worry about it." He told me, hanging up. Oh boy. That...wasn't a good sign. Stepping out of my car, I walked into the office, closing off all the blinds. With that out of the way, I just had to wait. Normally I would take a bit of some kind of alcohol, but with my blood being necessary for this thing, I figured it wouldn't be a good idea to indulge myself.

A flash of light caught my attention. Lo and behold, there she was. Allison appeared, clad in a suit like always. She gave me a small grin.

"Hey. Orion said you needed some items?" She said, holding up a few bags. All of them were bloody, each in different sizes. I nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks. Just put em right here." I said, bringing up a tray, gesturing for her to set them down. After she did, she pulled out a small ruby.

"This gonna work?" She asked me, tossing it in my direction. Catching it, I inspected the gem. Then Janus took control. Great! This again! It was pretty obvious that he took over, mainly because Allison flinched slightly. Then he spoke, his voice echoed just like it did when we spoke.

 **"Hm... it's in good condition. A rather impressive rough cut. This will do just fine. Now..."** He paused, trying to find the words. Then he sighed. **"Screw it, kid take over."** He said, shaking our head. I groaned, clutching my head.

"Fuck. I hate it when he does that." I growled. Then I looked up at Allison. "Say... is there anything that hints that Janus takes over? Could be useful down the line." I said, rubbing my eyes. Allison chuckled.

"Your eyes. They turn red when he comes out. Could be useful for intimidation or something like that." She said, pointing to her own. Then she quirked an eyebrow. "What exactly did you need? I gotta admit, it's hilarious to see the two of you toss the question back and forth like that." She said with a grin. I sighed, mentally cursing at not having a drink for my nerves. Here we go.

"We... need... angel feathers. If it's not to much to ask or anything." I said softly, hoping not to offend her. Allison shrugged. Wait what?

"Sure. It's not that big a deal. Now, tears are another manner entirely. But feathers? Sure." She said, taking off her suit jacket. Oh boy. I quickly turned around, trying to give Allison some privacy. I heard a bit of rustling, then a sigh. "You can look now Michael." She told me. Looking back, she was clad in an undershirt... with her wings visible.

Now, this would probably be the time where I would say that they were perfection incarnate, that no words could describe them at all. But I'd be lying. Allison's wings were... beautiful and haunting at the same time. One held solid white feathers that looked so soft that silk would pale in comparison. It held an air of confidence and bristled in anticipation. The other wing was the exact opposite. It was tattered, with blackened wings that molted in some places. It was a bit lower than the other wing, seemingly subdued. Both twitched every now and then, the black wing dropping a few more feathers on the floor. I stifled a gasp, looking at the black wing.

"If... you don't mind me asking..." I trailed off, one hand wanting to reach for the wing. I stopped myself in time, simply looking at them. Allison gave me a tired smile, almost as if she had gotten the question before.

"Let's just say... the war took something from most of us in heaven." She said, stroking the now curled wing. Then she shook her head, the melancholy in her eyes fading, and the fire that had been dimmed returning. "Besides, this one won't do you any good. You'll need some of these." She said, plucking some feathers from the white wing. She set them gently on the tray as well. "So, that all you gonna need?" She asked me, flexing and letting her wings slowly curl, before finally disappearing. I shrugged.

"Yeah. Just need some of my own blood and I'll be set." I told her, rolling up my sleeve. Let's see... I pulled out a knife, ready to slice my hand. Allison groaned.

"What the hell are you doing?!" She asked, looking at the knife aimed at my hand. Crap. Guess she doesn't agree with this method.

"Uh... getting some blood?" I said hesitantly. She growled, putting her jacket on. Then she stomped forward, tearing the knife out of my hand.

"You... you absolute moron! Honestly, do you know what a cut like that would do to your hand? There's who knows how many nerves in this thing! If you slice even one of them incorrectly you could damage it permanently!" She snapped, tossing my knife into a wall behind her.

"Hey! Watch the walls! That's money right there!" I said, walking over to where the knife was. Pulling it out, I sighed in relief. It didn't go through that much, so at least nothing permanent. The clinking of glass caught my attention. Turning around, I saw Allison setting up a few things. Needles, vials, disinfectant. Huh. "Uh... is that all for me?" I asked her. She was engrossed in her work, but still nodded.

"Yep. How much blood do you need again?" She asked me. I walked over to a small glass bowl I had brought out earlier, simply holding it up. She nodded. "Right. A couple of vials. Come over here please." She said, gesturing to a chair next to her. I sighed, taking my shirt. Honestly, the one day I wore a long sleeve. Allison looked me over.

"Huh. You've bulked up quite a bit since you've gotten here. It's impressive really. Now then, let's get that blood." She said, twirling a needle in her hand. You know, I should be worried, but I'm not. I took a seat, waiting for her to start. I brought up my arm, focusing on talking to Janus.

'So... what's the deal here again? What am I supposed to do?' I asked him. I heard a sigh.

 **'Of course you've forgotten. It's fine, it's a slightly confusing process. The first thing we need to do is put down the sand we got a few days ago. Simply add enough for a triangle. Then add your blood along the lines, mixing it into the sand. Once that happens, place a heart on each corner. With that out of the way, hold the rough gem in one hand and the feathers in the other. Sit in the middle of the triangle and say the incantation. With that, we'll have what we need.'** He said, finishing off his rant/explanation. Huh. Okay then. Looking back, I saw that Allison was done drawing blood, and had quickly wrapped up my arm.

"Huh. That was quick." I said, shaking my head. Allison shrugged.

"I'm trained. Trust me, this is nothing." She told me, packing up the equipment. "So, despite the fact that you've got better healing from Janus, I want you to stay hydrated and eat a hearty meal. Something with protein will work. Oh and Ethan sends his regards. Said he appreciates that you're willing to do this." She told me, putting on her jacket. I nodded.

"I do what I can. Just make sure he doesn't get too hurt alright?" I told her, looking over the supplies. Allison nodded.

"I'll try. Catch you later Mike." She told me, snapping her fingers and disappearing in a flash of light. Heh, that's always a neat trick. Gotta find out how they do that someday. I sighed, finally ready for the ritual.

Walking over to my closet, I took out a few small sandbags, moving them over to the backroom. Then I brought the hearts, gems and feathers, placing them to the side. Grabbing the sandbags, I opened them, slowly pouring them out. Finally I was able to get enough out to make a triangle. Grabbing the vials of blood, I gently poured them out, letting them mix into the sand. Granted it was a bit odd to pour out my blood, but I got over it quickly. Finally I finished. I walked over to the bags, opening the smallest one. The smell got to me slightly, and I gagged. Jesus! These things stink! Ho boy. I took a deep breath, trying to not vomit. I didn't have any gloves right now, so I just took a leap. Reaching inside, I gingerly grabbed the heart and placed it in one corner of the blood triangle. Funny enough, it was the size of a human heart. It took a good five minutes, but I was able to place the other two down. Granted it took me longer because the other bags had hearts three to four times the size of the first one.

After setting them down, I took a deep breath. It was time. I could hear Janus muttering.

 **'Get the feathers and the gem. I'll pour out the necessary magic. You just have to hold the items and summon some flame. You can do this. Trust me.'** He said, the ambient energy around us getting stronger. I nodded, wiping my hands of the blood from the hearts. I grabbed the feathers, finally getting a feel for them. They... were soft. That was all I could say. I wish I could be more descriptive, but that's the best I could do at the moment. I placed the feathers in my left hand, grabbing the gem in my right hand. I moved, careful not to disturb the sand. I sat down, closing my eyes.

 **'Now, call upon the fire and say this exactly like I do.** **A corde autem igne in lutum pallidus: et lux in rubrum sanguinem meum. Catullus Da mihi fortitudinem, et visiones opus.'** Janus said, his voice echoing in my head. I nodded, breathing deeply. I focused, seeing the image of flames slowly form in front of me.

"A corde autem igne in lutum pallidus: et lux in rubrum sanguinem meum. Catullus Da mihi fortitudinem, et visiones opus." I repeated. God I hope that I didn't screw up that phrasing. Janus hummed. **'Open your eyes. See the results.'** He told me. I complied, finally opening my eyes. A small ball of fire had formed, swirling around and slowly getting larger. The triangle began glowing purple, and the hearts had began to smoke. Suddenly the flame in front of me changed, the color changing from orange to purple. Then it expanded, shooting out in various directions. It struck the hearts first, igniting them. With each heart that caught fire, a line on the triangle did as well. Finally the whole triangle had caught fire. The gem was glowing brightly in my hands. The feathers began to float, the angelic energy in them glowing white with particles surrounding them. It occurred to me that I was actually floating a bit off the ground.

Suddenly the corners of the triangle lit up, shooting beams of light to the center, specifically at me. I let out a cry, my arms and legs felt like they were burning. I could see so much around me, hear so many things. My senses flared, overwhelming my being. Then darkness hit me.

* * *

 _Images flashed before me. A clash of steel, the fall of rain. Two men stood, armed with blades of might. After they had clashed for what seemed like a lifetime, they stopped. One spoke up. I could barely make out some of the words._

 _"We are the sons of..." As if trying to reason with the second figure. I couldn't hear anything else, and the figures charged again._

* * *

 _I woke up with a groan, clutching my head. What the hell happened?_

 _ **"I believe I can answer that."** Janus told me. I looked behind me, seeing him sitting on that same stump._

 _"That all you do now?" I asked him, standing up. He shrugged._

 _ **"It's the easiest thing to do. Unless of course you want to help me sort through these while we speak?"** He asked me, snapping his fingers. Suddenly I was flying, cast into an endless void. I could hear screaming, both human and not. Images of flayed bodies, beings of nightmares filled my vision. I let out a yelp, suddenly landing on my ass. I glared up at Janus, who hadn't moved at all._

 _"What the fuck was that?!" I roared, standing up. Janus sighed, red energy shifting in his hands._

 _ **"I... the ritual you did had an unexpected outcome. It was supposed to give you more power, but it helped me as well. I...I'm remembering stuff. More images, more magics. Nothing concrete yet, but it's still something. Let's just say I've been busy while you were out."** He said, clenching his hands into fists. I growled._

 _"That's fine and all, but that doesn't mean that you can just drag me into them like that. What the hell were you thinking?!" I asked him again, ready to punch his lights out. Janus sighed._

 _ **"It's been a long day. I'm... sorry. I just didn't expect that to happen the way it did."** He said, rubbing his head. What?_

 _"What's that mean?" I asked him, fatigue suddenly hitting me. I stumbled a bit, taking a seat next to him. I hissed, rubbing my right hand. Wait... why does my hand hurt? I didn't cut it or anything. Looking down, I gasped. That... was different. It had... changed. Where there once was a regular human hand, was now something...different. It was now black, with rough scales, and claws where the fingers used to be. I looked up at Janus, who shook his head._

 _ **"I'm... so sorry. The ritual I found wasn't to power up someone. It was a ritual used to make a man into a demon. Thankfully the transformation was partial, and the ritual itself was incomplete. I... I'm so sorry."** He told me, covering his face in his hands. I could see tears falling. Damn it. He hasn't had it easy, especially since his memories were still fragmented. Not to mention all this happened... I stood up, flexing my new hand. It was unexpected... but in Remnant where I could be killed like I was nothing I needed power... I needed strength. And if this was how I was going to do it it... well it worked. __I patted Janus on the shoulder._

 _"Look... you made a mistake. It happens. I don't blame you. In fact... this might help. We'll figure this out together. Just... don't blame yourself. I knew there was going to be a risk, and it paid off." I told him, examining my hand. Janus slumped his shoulders._

 ** _"Just go Michael... just go... I'm sorry."_** _He said, waving his hand. With that, the world around us faded._

* * *

I woke up, taking a large gulp of air. Well... that was new. He's never kicked me out before. 'J? You there?' I mentally called out. Nothing. I groaned, closing my eyes and rubbing my face with my left hand Jesus... why the hell is it so bright? And what was that ringing noise... god that smell too... I shifted around, using my right hand to keep rubbing my face. Christ I have a headache...

I froze, feeling the claws scratching me. Opening my eyes, I saw my hand had definitely changed. Then it finally hit me. I wasn't human anymore. At the very least, this was going to be an interesting life now. I should have been freaking out or something... but this world had enough to justify what I did. One way or another, I was going to be drawn into the war between Salem and Ozpin. I just had to be ready.

Sitting up, it finally occurred to me that I should probably hide something like this. I mean, I really don't want to attract attention to myself anymore than I already did with Reed.

Standing up, I checked my surroundings. The circle, hearts, and blood had all vanished. The ruby had fallen to the floor, and it wasn't a ruby anymore. It was... okay I swear I know the name... it's just drawing blank for me. Ah, it'll come back to me later. Where was I... oh right! Well, now that everything's clean, I don't have to worry about any major messes. I moved to grab the gem-amethyst that's it! Damn, can't believe that slipped my mind. Anyways, I grabbed the amethyst and walked out of the room. Then I fell to my knees. GAH!

I clutched my head, trying not to scream in pain. I growled, glancing to the right of me. I could see a mirror I had set up a while ago. Right now it was helping me figure out what was wrong. My eyes were shifting from blue to red fiery pits. My face was stuck in a snarl, fangs beginning to extend from my teeth. I put my hands to my head, letting out a single cry. A voice echoed in my head. Not Janus'. It was... different...worse.

 _'Power... That's all that matters... give in. It's the only way. You wanted power... embrace it.'_ It was dark... tempting. It called to me. But images flashed reminded me of why I wanted to the power. Images of Lily...Scarlet... Allison... Orion... The other Outsiders... _'Leave them. They don't matter... you only wanted power... didn't you? Let go of your friends...They'll only slow you down.'_ The voice continued. I growled once more, finally getting the strength to stand up. My vision was going in and out, my breathing had become rapid. Fading... I can't... can't go on... Then something snapped, letting me regain my thoughts.

No... I can't let whatever this is win.

'I WON'T!' I mentally shouted, pushing the voice away. 'HELP! JANUS! PLEASE!' I pleaded, trying to stay awake. It was a pathetic attempt, but it was more than enough. That finally got his attention. The pressure building up in the back of my head eased up. **'Get away from him!'** Janus shouted. The pressure got faded a bit more, but it was still there. **'Michael... breath. It hurts, I know... but you need to focus. Focus on where the pain is coming from.'** He told me, sounding strained. As much as I didn't want to, I managed to get my breathing under control. I could... feel whatever it was...clawing at the back of my mind. Then I could finally see it.

 _It was a black figure, reptile like with scales, wings and a tail. Curved horns sat on it's head. Almost like a dragon of some kind. It had four limbs, two arms and two legs. Five claws adorned each hand, and large talons helped keep the thing standing. Then I saw it's face. I recoiled at the sight, my legs buckling under unimaginable pressure. I knew the face staring back at me, even with the glowing eyes, the snarling fangs, and the roar coming from it's lips. It was me._

The image suddenly stopped, and I gasped. I stumbled forward, catching myself before I fell. I was still growling, looking back at my reflection. Have... have to get calm. Breathe...breathe... I closed my eyes, ignoring the voice in the back of my skull. My eyes had stopped shifting and the fangs began to retract. Great... so I'm guessing that this was going to be a thing now. 'J? You have any ideas what just happened?' I asked, hoping it was him this time.

 **'...Yes I do.'** He muttered, obviously deep in thought. **'I know exactly what this is. After I ejected you, I did more research. The transformation was more successful than we anticipated. Your very soul is now connected to demonic energy. The reason the spell worked like it did was due in fact to the anger you've hidden deep down. It manifested after all these years... into a demon of it's own.'** He told me.

I sighed audibly, shaking my head. I have a feeling I know where this is going. Magic and anger can lead to quite a few things you know. "So what you're saying is..." I trailed off, speaking aloud for the first time in a while.

 **'Yes. This demon... is you. Or at least, what you could have been. It's that dark side that all humans have. Yours was just given form.'** He said, the image of the scaled body still etched in my mind. Knowing my luck, that wasn't going to be the last time I had seen that demon was it? Well... I might as well accept this. I was still staring at my reflection, noticing that it twitching a bit. I smiled, teeth bared and all. My eyes had shifted, looking like pools of magma now.

"Well... while this is unexpected... but still... maybe this is what I needed. Besides... what's a little risk, right?" I asked Janus, still grinning at my reflection. Time to see what else this demon did to me.

 _An: Hey everyone! So... A lot happened in this chapter. I hope it's not too much, but what do I know? Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. Michael's far from done with his adventures and journey, trust me. The ritual was just the beginning. After this... well let's say he's in for a ride. I gladly take suggestions, so please don't hesitate to give me some. Until next time, Read, Review and Enjoy!_


	11. Interlude: New Blood

_Unknown POV_

I woke up with a gasp. That movement sadly hurt. Groaning, I started clutching my head. Finally, ignoring the pounding that was going through my head, I started to look around. There was dirty white walls all around me. I was on a lumpy mattress. Yeah... not liking this one bit. Moving to the left had me quickly rolling off of. I fell right to the floor, moaning softly. I stood up, almost losing it right there and then. I stumbled forward, catching myself on the wall. The world was still spinning. Oh god, I think I'm going to be sick. I tried catching my breath, checking my surroundings. To the right of me I saw a door. Holding my lunch down, I walked forward. I slowly turned the handle, wincing at the groaning metal. That was far too loud for my liking. The door opened, and I was finally able to get a look at my surroundings. A hallway. A hospital hallway. Joy.

That brings up a few questions. What the hell happened? Where am I? I know it's a hospital... but it's filthy. The last thing I remember was walking down the sidewalk… but I know that I hadn't collapsed. Only thing that comes to mind was blacking out... but that's it. I couldn't see much else. The hallway was as dirty as the room had been, and I could see wheelchairs and gurneys strewn about on both ends, all rusted and tossed around. I heard something clattering to ground. And there goes my rationality. I started walking in the direction, slowly keeping up a steady pace. I was taking a few deep breaths, the same mantra repeating in my head. Keep calm. Keep calm. That's when another thing clattered to the ground.

What's the hell's going on here? And where is here exactly? Edging forward, it was obvious that this place had been abandoned in a hurry, and a long time ago. Nearly slipping on a discarded gown, I cursed softly. Don't know why I'm still going to where the sound came from, but curiosity was getting the better of me. Well... I'm already down this path... might as well finish it. I nearly jumped out of my skin when something brushed against my foot. Looking down, there was a flashlight, along with baton. There was only one issue with the baton: it was coated with... something on the end. Thankfully whatever it was seemed dry enough, so fuck it. Picking up the baton and flashlight, I was relieved to find that the batteries were working. Sadly, turning it on was a mistake.

The walls were now clearly visible. Dark brown stains were splattered all across. Shapes of all kinds were adorning the walls as well, including... a pentagram. Yeah... Nope. I'm just going to ahead and move away from this area. Taking a few more breathes, I started moving forward. The hallway seemed endless, with more brown stains and shapes on the walls. Finally I hit a bit of a obstacle. There was three ways to go now. Straight and into the hall, left and upstairs, and right to go upstairs. I was contemplating going left, looking in that direction specifically when I heard it. A woman's voice, singing an all too familiar song, all to the same horrifying tune.

 _Twinkle, twinkle, little star,_  
 _How I wonder what you are!_  
 _Up above the world so high,_  
 _Like a diamond in the sky!_

 _Twinkle twinkle little star,_  
 _Oh how I wonder what you are,_

 _When the blazing sun is gone,_  
 _When the nothing shines upon,_  
 _Then you show your little light,_  
 _Twinkle, twinkle, all the night._

 _Twinkle twinkle little star,_  
 _Show me light from afar,_

 _Then the traveler in the dark,_  
 _Thanks you for your little spark,_  
 _He could not see which way to go,_  
 _If you did not twinkle so._

 _Twinkle twinkle little star,_  
 _What a golden joy you are,_

 _When the blazing sun is gone,_  
 _When the nothing shines upon,_  
 _Though I know not what you are,_  
 _Twinkle, twinkle, little star._

 _Twinkle twinkle little star,_  
 _Oh how I wonder what you are._

That was coming from upstairs, and was accompanied a soft giggle. It would normally have been creepy enough, but then it just _had_ to sound like the Dead Space version. Hallway it is. Turning back, it was apparent that hallway was suddenly a bad idea. Where it was originally somewhat clear, the gurneys and wheelchairs had moved, forming a barrier and blocking my way. Suddenly I think I should go in the opposite direction. As I started to back up, something pushed me to the ground. Twisting around, I moved the flashlight up. Nothing. There was nothing here. What the hell is going on? Then something grabbed me by the shirt, tossing me to the side and making me tumble down the stairs. GAHSONOFABITCHFUCKINGSHIT!

I hit a few stairs before slamming into a wall. Stumbling up, I looked around to see what had thrown me. Up the stairs, there was nothing. The only thing I could see, and hear at that, was the gurneys moving to block my way. You know... I've never been one to think about or believe the supernatural... but that idea's starting to look good. Think it's best to just follow this thing's advice. Flashlight (miraculously) still in hand, I started to edge slowly down.

As the steps slowly but surly ended, it occurred to me that the baton wasn't in my hand anymore. Shit. Well... ain't no way in getting it now... so I guess it doesn't matter. Then I stepped into another hallway. Unfortunately it was far worse than the last one. Fresh red stains were plastered all around, and suddenly the smell of iron hit me... yep that's blood. Written on the walls was the words 'Do you want to play with me?' Shit. I... fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. What the fuck is going on here? Turning, my blood ran cold at the sight in front of me.

A good two hundred feet down the hall, there was a girl, no older than 12, staring at me. She had blood red eyes, black hair wrapped up in a bow, and was wearing an all white dress with worn out shoes. The most obvious and horrifying feature she had was the long cut across her neck, blood pouring out all over and staining her dress. She tilted her head and smiled, teeth and all while showing me the cut in full detail and how deep it went. I could see bone for fucks sake!

 _"Hi! I'm Sallie! Do you want to play with me?"_ The girl asked, her voice echoing throughout the hall. She started to slowly skip forward, giggling all the way. I had frozen by this point, my muscles tensing and refusing to listen to me. Great... this is how I'm going to die. Killed by a little ghost girl. What a way to go. Then I heard something that snapped me out of... whatever I was in.

 _ **"RUN YOU IDIOT! RUN!"**_ A man's voice called out. I wasn't going to question where that came from. I just turned heel and started sprinting. Suddenly the humming stopped, and was replaced by an inhuman shriek that rang across the hall. Despite wanting to just curl up into a ball and let whatever it was kill me, I moved forward, illuminating the hallway as much as I could.

Finally after what seemed like hours, but was probably a few minutes, a door was clearly visible with the sign EXIT glowing above it. Against my better judgement, I turned around. Sallie was still there, chasing after me on all fours. I raised a finger with my free hand.

"FUCK YOU BITCH!" I roared, cackling as I sprinted faster. Facing forward, I pushed through the door. I made it three steps when the floor collapsed, leaving me tumbling forward. OHSHITFUCKINGBITCHFUCKINGFUCK! I could barely see the ground rapidly getting closer, then darkness took me.

* * *

I groaned, slowly waking up. God... what the hell happened? Then my mind came back. The hospital... the girl... oh shit! That's when I realized... something was dragging me somewhere. Reluctantly opening my eyes, I could see my legs being held up by Sallie. That same damn humming was back. This time it was accompanied by a song.

"O _ne two. You came on through. Three four. You were such a bore. Five six. You fell and hit the bricks. Seven eight, You got here late. Nine, ten. You'll never leave again."_ NOPE! I started struggling, trying to kick away. Sallie turned around, smile full of unnatural, jagged teeth. _"You're awake! Great!"_ She said, her grip on me tightening.

"GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!" I roared, freeing one of my legs and kicking Sallie in the head. Wait... what? She was sent flying back, clutching her face. Not.. not a ghost then. Whatever. Not my issue right now. I immediately turned around and started sprinting away. The flashlight was gone, so I had to stumble blindly forward. I ignored the shrieks behind me, still reaching forward. Finally I could feel a door handle. Twisting it, I was able to get inside. Slamming the door shut, I saw a nearby cabinet. Grabbing it, I shoved it down, blocking the doorway. That's when the pounding started.

 _"Get back here! You still have to play with me! Get back here now now now!"_ Sallie shrieked, fists banging on the door. Dents began to form. I took a couple of steps back, letting out a sigh of relief. Then the lights above me had turned on, and a hand came up grabbing me by the shoulder. Not gonna lie, I let out a small shriek. I quickly turned around, coming face to face with a girl. She was about my age, so... 18 would be my guess. She looked rather ordinary enough, dressed in a leather jacket, torn jeans and black boots. She also had long red hair and... amber eyes. My eyes went up to see the... wolf ears on her, twitching away. Then my eyes wandered down, noticing the tail swishing behind her. Uh... shit. You know, I think I have a few questions... cause I don't think I'm on Earth anymore. The girl took my hand and started to drag me away.

"Come on! We don't have time!" She said, never letting me go. That got me speaking again.

"Wait! What's happening? Where are we? Who are you? How'd you know that I was here? Why am I not shutting-" I suddenly stopped speaking as the girl skidded to a halt, letting go of my hand and slapping me across the face. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Okay... in order. We're running so that we don't die. We're in Twin Rivers Asylum. I saw you faceplant after running from that thing." She quickly told me, always keeping an eye out behind me. Guess there was nothing, because she let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, and I'm Claire Wolfe, nice to meet you. Now come on, let's get the hell out of here!" She told me, winking and taking my hand once more. Not that I'm complaining mind you, what with a pretty girl keeping me close. We continued running more and more, bobbing and weaving through places I could hardly see.

The pounding and screeching never stopped, and in fact it got worse. _"COME BACK! GET BACK HERE NOW! COME PLAY WITH ME!"_ Sallie screamed, the sound echoing all around us.

"What the fuck is that thing?" I asked Claire, looking around. She shook her head, never looking back.

"Don't know, don't really care right now. Hey, heads up!" She said, ducking. Wait what?

'THUNK!' 'SMASH!'

That was the sound of my head knocking into a fallen wooden beam, along with said beam shattering into pieces. Ow. Actually... you know the funny thing is, I didn't feel a thing. What the hell? Claire turned, quickly looking at me.

"You okay?" She asked, cursing as she nearly stumbled on something.

"Yep! Never better!" I said, keeping up as best as I could. Something shattered behind us, making me glance back. It hadn't occurred to me that the shrieking had stopped. I paled, letting out a chocked gasp, my grip on Claire's hand tightening.

"Something wrong?" She asked me, not turning around. I couldn't respond, merely trying to survive the hand wrapped around my throat. Thankfully I started to choke, so that got Claire's attention. She turned around, letting go of my hand and spewing out a stream of curses. Sallie had... somehow broken through. She had both her hands around my neck, that same damn smile on her face.

 _"Where are you going silly? We still haven't had a chance to pla-"_ She was cut off by something whacking her on the side of the head. Claire appeared out of nowhere, broken pipe in hand. She swung the pipe once more, sending Sallie tumbling down a flight of stairs. If the screams from before were horrifying, these were ten times worse. Claire moved, slamming the door Sallie went down shut. Then she turned to me.

"You okay?" She asked me, gently placing a few fingers on my neck and causing me to wince. Claire hissed softly. "Yeah... this is gonna bruise, sorry. We can fix this later. Come on." She told me, grabbing my hand once more. I didn't hesitate, matching Claire's speed easily. We pushed through rubble, ignoring the rapid banging and smashing coming from behind us. Finally, I could make out a sliver of light. There was only one issue really. A door was blocking our way. A quick test showed that it was locked. I looked at Claire.

"On three?" I asked her, my voice a raspy mess at the moment. She nodded. "Right... one...two...three!" I shouted, slamming into the door. The metal warped and groaned, finally giving way. The two of us tumbled forward, and finally I could breathe fresh air. That was the good news. Bad news was that I hit my head a bit harder than I thought. My vision got a bit blurry, but I could make out a small shape staring at us from the doorway. Claire cursed, standing up.

"Come on man, get up! Come on, get up!" She pleaded, slowly dragging me away. Then I heard that same giggling. Sallie.

 _"Bye bye! Come again soon! **I'll be waiting for**_ ** _you_!"** She said, and I could vaguely see her waving at the two of us. Then she vanished. Claire stopped dragging me, instead kneeling down to face me. She put a hand on my head, causing me to groan.

"Shit... you really hit your head. Come on, stay awake!" She told me, her voice growing distant. Everything was going dark. Suddenly a flash a pain got me waking up again. Claire was there once more, worry evident in her eyes. "Sorry, I had to keep you awake somehow. Get up, I'm taking you somewhere safe." She told me, grabbing my arm. I grudgingly obliged, slowing sitting up. My head was still spinning, but I was still coherent... I think.

"Wait... somewhere?... No... hospital?" I muttered in her ears, still not able to form words well. Claire shook her head, her hair accidentally slapping me in the face. The smile of fresh leather and smoke hit me. Huh. Interesting.

"Nope. Besides, you think that anyone would believe what we just saw? I know a friend who'll help. Come on, just stay awake..." Her voice trailed off, and I closed my eyes. Opening them again, I saw that some time had passed. We were in the middle of a city, going down the sidewalk. Claire's voice had gone a bit frantic, and I could see her looking around. "Come on you fucking asshole, pick up!" She groaned, listening to a... phone... thing. I could hear a man's voice ring out from the phone, and I realized that it was a voicemail.

"This is Michael. Can't pick up right now, sorry. If it's a case you've got, then call back in five minutes. If this is an emergency, than just keep calling until I pick up. Feel free to insult me as much as possible if I don't answer. Bye!" The voicemail said, ending with a cheery tone. Claire growled, damn near cracking the screen as she hung up. I slowly raised an eyebrow, trying to speak. My throat was dry, far too dry for my liking.

"Problem?" I rasped out, catching Claire's attention. She shook her head.

"Just trying to get my friend's attention. We ain't exactly in a nice neighborhood." She told me, looking around. "Can you stand without help?" She suddenly asked me. I tried, and to my joy I could. Claire let out a sigh of relief. "Finally, something goes right." She muttered to herself. Then she shook her head, nudging my shoulder. "Come on, we're almost there." She told me, briskly walking forward. As I followed her, I was about to ask her what the hell was happening now when I saw the people around us. Most of them were regular, but unfortunately some were openly staring at, and in a few cases glaring, at Claire. I was able to catch the tail end of one conversation.

"Look at that animal, strutting around like she owns the place."

"And what's with this asshole? Treating this thing like one of us!"

I ignored them, realizing the issue. Claire's ears and tail. Some humans will unfortunately will be humans, hating the unknown and all that. The stares and comments kept on going, most of which Claire also ignored. I could see more and more people with animal features, so there was that. I just kept following Claire when she suddenly stopped. A scraggly looking dude popped out of a nearby alley, dressed in worn and stained clothing. He was leering at Claire. Shit. We don't have time to deal with assholes like this.

"Hey there sweetheart. You got a minute?" He asked, standing in front of Claire. She shook her head.

"Nope. Sorry. Bye." She abruptly said, trying to side step the man. He moved in front of her again.

"Come on baby, don't be like that. I just had a quick question..." He trailed off, pushing a bit of hair out of her face. I was about to step up, injury or not, when Claire moved. She kicked up with her right leg, hitting the man directly in the nuts. He paled instantly, let out a small squeak, and fell to the floor, groaning and clutching his balls.

"I said not now asshole!" Claire growled, stepping over him. I followed her, giving the guy a small kick for good measure. Jackass. I quickly caught up to Claire, clearing my throat a bit.

"Deal with that a lot?" I asked her, rubbing my neck slightly. Claire scoffed.

"Way too much. Come on. It's not much farther." She told me, walking faster than she had before. I was about to ask her where exactly 'there' was, but a commotion behind me caught my attention. Turning around, I paled. The man had gotten up, and he had friends. Four to be exact. They all turned to look at us.

"Claire..." I called as loudly as I could. She turned around, paling just like I did. Once the men started to move, we took that as our cue. Claire immediately started running, with me right on her heels. We ran for a good five minutes before Claire screeched to a halt. She turned to a door, bringing out a key.

"In here!" She said, opening the door quickly. I followed her inside, quickly slamming the door shut. The two of us were huffing and puffing, trying to catch our breath. That's when I was able to see our surroundings. It was an office... of sorts. I could see a huge wooden desk, which had a couple of computer monitors, files scattered about, and a bottle of scotch. On the wall there was an array of... trophies? A sword was hung there, along with a couple of daggers, a shield and... a cloak and mask. Both were damaged, with the cloak scorched and tattered, the mask chipped and worn. Both of them were colored black, and the mask had glowing purple eyes. I moved forward, trying to inspect the mask. The shattering of glass got my attention, and I turned towards the noise. I fell to the floor, a brick having been thrown at me. Ow... and there I go. Hello darkness my old friend...

* * *

(Third Person POV)

To say that Claire Wolfe was annoyed was putting it mildly. Were there quite a few handsy morons in Vale? Yes. Did they have friends? Unfortunately most did. What she didn't take into account was that said morons would follow them all the way to the shop. So now, here she was, trapped in a crappy office with an unconscious guy. She let out a huff of annoyance, going over and dragging the guy over.

"I've really gotta learn your name." She muttered lowly, propping him up against the wall. He never said anything, merely groaning in obvious pain. A crash from behind caught Claire's attention. The door had been kicked, and was in the process of being kicked in again. She sighed, standing up and praying that Michael would hurry up.

The first that bothered her had finally kicked the door down, walking in like he owned the place. His friends followed in, all armed in one way or another.

"Listen bitch, I want an apology for what you just did. That and well..." He trailed off, his eyes roaming over Claire's body. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I can think of something else."

"Uh huh. Sure. Look, you should just turn around and walk away. Do you have any idea whose shop you just broke into?" She asked, gesturing around. Three of them just started laughing, but the last guy paled.

"Uh... guys... this... this is..." He trailed off, paling and looking behind Claire.

 ** _"My shop..."_** A voice behind Claire growled out. She gave a sadistic grin, turning around to face the voice. There he was! Michael stood tall, dressed in his coat and eyes blazing red. He had his sword on his back, and was openly carrying his guns with him, with a knife in hand. It was aimed at Moron number one. He took short, slow steps forward. _**"You... come into my shop... threaten my friend... and demand things that you don't deserve... who the fuck do you think you are?"**_ He continued, voice growing lower and lower. He finally moved enough to where he was covering Claire, ensuring that no one would get past him.

The first man didn't take the hint. He growled in response, jerking his head. "Get him!" He roared, charging forward and raising his club. Michael moved his free hand, blocking the club. He tossed the knife, the handle striking a second man in the head. As he stumbled back, Michael reared his leg back, kicking up. The first let out a girlish shriek, stumbling back and clutching his balls. Michael's fist came forward, striking a third man and sending him flying out of the window. The second man had slight recovered from the knife, and was about to move forward. Michael beat him to the punch, grabbing him by the face and slamming him into the ground. The fourth man had never moved, trembling in his boots.

As Michael advanced on him, the first man stood up. He roared, charging at Michael with the discarded knife in hand. Michael wasn't fast enough, and the knife slammed forward, striking him in his chest. The other guy looked at him, grinning. Claire couldn't see it, but Michael's expression had changed. He grabbed the man's wrist, and Claire could hear an audible cracking sound. The other man screamed, before it was cut off by Michael throwing him into an adjacent wall. He turned back towards the terrified man, stomping over to him.

 _ **"You... stay here... wait for the police."**_ Michael growled, pointing to a chair. The last man was openly weeping at this point, and shambled over to the chair. Michael turned around, and Claire winced. The knife had been slammed deep into Michael's chest. He looked down at it, and chuckled. "Right, forgot about that. Uh... sorry about that. You may wanna turn around." He told her, his voice going back to normal. With that warning, he quickly ripped the knife out, much to Claire's protest. Michael simply looked over the knife. "Whadda ya know? Stabbed by my own knife. Talk about a making a point." He said, chuckling at his own joke. He looked up at Claire. "You alright? Just got your message, and I was about to go out to meet up with you myself. Sorry it took so long. I had to finish up some paperwork." He said, pointing at his extremely messy desk. Then his eyes turned towards the unconscious kid leaned up against the wall. He walked over, kneeling in front of him. "Who's this?" He asked, moving the kid's head to the side. Claire shook her head.

"Never got his name. I was checking out Twin Rivers Asylum like you asked. There's... something weird going on there." She said, looking on as Michael went to work, his hands glowing as he murmured something.

"Weird? Can you specify?" He asked her, standing up and walking over to his desk and grabbing his landline. He started dialing a number. Claire grinned, ready to finally freak Michael out.

"Well... there's some kind of ghost girl that caused the bruising on this guy's neck." She said, grinning. Michael looked up, dropping the phone. He sighed, sitting down on his chair.

"Son of a bitch."

* * *

 _(Unknown POV)_

I groaned, moving around a bit. Ah shit... what happened? Then it all came flashing back to me. The asylum... Sallie... Claire... CLAIRE! My eyes shot open quickly, and I tried standing up.

"CLAIRE!" I shouted, immediately getting dizzy. A hand pushed me down gently.

"Easy, easy there. She's safe!" A man said. The voice was deep and unfamiliar. My eyes were open, but my vision was blurry. I could vaguely see his face, but not much else. Then I heard a door open.

"Hey, it's okay man! I'm good!" Claire said. I instantly calmed down. She sounded alright, and thankfully my vision had cleared up. I could see her grinning off to the side, relief evident on her face. Turning back, I could finally see the man holding me down.

He was older than me, with short black hair, bright blue eyes, and a wicked scar running down the left side of his face. He had a grin, almost like he knew something I didn't. He offered me a hand, which I took. As I stood up, I realized just how... huge this guy was. I'm about five foot five, at best, and built like a twig. This guy was a good six feet tall at least, and built like a truck. How did I know that last part? He was wearing a muscle shirt, and I could see a coat tossed to the side. "I'm Michael Galloway. I've got a few questions for you. First off, what's your name?" He asked me, guiding me over to a sofa. I blanked out for a minute, but thankfully I was able to remember.

"Jake. Jake Richards." I said, coughing a bit. Michael nodded.

"Well that's one thing sorted out. Hold on for just a second." He told me, walking off. I let out a breathe I had been holding. Claire had taken the opportunity to plop down next to me.

"So... your name's Jake? Good to know." She said, groaning and stretching out on the sofa. I nodded, looking off to where Michael had disappeared to.

"Uh... what happened after I was knocked out?" I asked her, finally noticing that the place looked a lot more trashed than I remember it being. There was little things, you know. A crack here and there, a bit of blood on the floor, oh and the window and door being completely destroyed. Claire looked smug.

"Michael happened. Those assholes from before had caught up to us, took you down with a brick. They busted in, and sadly for them, Michael was still here." She said, pulling up that phone looking thing. "Check this out!" She said excitedly. I could only gape at what I was watching. That Michael guy... he was taking these guys down like they were nothing! I heard a chuckle, and I looked up to see Michael had come back, glass of water in hand.

"If you think that's impressive, you should see what I did to Danton Reed. Now that was a hellava battle." He said, passing me the water. I took it immediately, greedily gulping down the precious liquid. Michael turned to Claire, giving her some keys. "You should probably head home. Take my car. I'll pick it up tomorrow." He said, reaching into one of his pockets. "Oh, and here's your payment. Give your sister my regards." He said, handing her some small plastic cards. Claire nodded.

"Thanks, and I will! See ya around Jake. Try not to get knocked out again." She told me, winking and patting me on the cheek. With that, she strolled out of the office. An engine roared, and I could see a car tearing down the street. Michael sighed.

"Well, that's gonna end well." He muttered, rubbing his eyes. Shaking his head, he walked over to the ruined window and door. "Now that everyone's gone for the night..." He trailed off, waving his right hand. Now that I could see it, he was only wearing a glove for his right hand. Weird. I was about to ask him about the whole hand thing when my jaw dropped. The debris from both the door and window had flown up, and was mending itself... holy shit! After what was probably like a few minutes, the door and window looked as good as new. Michael turned back to me. "Let's talk." He told me, grabbing a chair and taking a seat in front of me. He quickly snapped his fingers, I gulped, leaning back a bit.

"What ah... what exactly did you want to talk about?" I asked him, studying his face. He held that same grin, and chuckled.

"Well, first things first, I hope you realize that you're not on Earth anymore." He told me. I damn near crumpled into the sofa. FINALLY! Michael chuckled once more. "Yeah, you're not hallucinating kid, don't worry. You're in Remnant." He said, gesturing around him. Uh... where? I stared at him blankly, trying to figure out what exactly he was talking about. Michael raised an eyebrow at me. "Uh... you ever see RWBY?" He asked me. I still had that same blank look. "Ya know, Ruby Rose? Silver eyes? Transforming weapons? Faunus? Grimm? Hunters? Anything?" He continued, each question causing to get more and more confused. Michael sighed.

"Fair enough. Not like everyone knows the show." He muttered, pulling out the same weird phone thing. He typed in something and put it up to his head. Looking over to me, he gave me a wink. "Don't worry, I've got someone who'll explain everything to you." He told me. Then he started talking to someone else. "Hey! Look, I need your help. No it's not anything illegal, I just need you to stop by the office real quick. I promise, this is important. Yeah... alright. See you soon. Bye." He quickly hung up. As soon as he did, a flash of light came up behind him. A woman appeared, dressed in a sharp looking suit and fedora. She had pale skin, brown hair with silver highlights, and light blue eyes.

"Michael? What's wrong?" She asked, her voice soft and quiet. Then she saw me. Her eyes widened, and she was about to say something when Michael stood up, holding his hands in a placating matter.

"Easy there Allison! He's a special case. He's from Earth apparently." Michael said, pointing over to me. The now named Allison raised an eyebrow, before bringing out some kind of cylinder. I finally snapped. I had been hyperventilating at this point, and that finally broke the camel's back.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" I shouted, looking at the two of them. Allison raised an eyebrow, before scowling and slapping Michael behind the head.

"You haven't told him anything?" She snarled, walking up to his face. He raised an eyebrow, giving her a grin.

"I was going too... but I figured that you would do it better." He said, winking at her. Then he turned to me and blanched. "Uh... shit. You wanna drink kid? I've got some scotch if you want some." He said, pointing over to his desk. I raised an eyebrow. Of all the things he could have said, that was surprisingly not what I expected.

"I'm... I'm eighteen." I said, shaking my head. Michael shrugged.

"Legal limit's different in this place. Old enough for combat means old enough for booze." He said, bringing up the bottle. He shook it slightly, the liquid clearly visible. "You sure you don't want one? This is real good stuff." He said, pouring himself a glass. Allison rolled her eyes, taking the glass out of his hands.

"Talk first, drink later." She said, pointing at me.

"But-" Michael tried to shoot back, but Allison held up a hand.

"Talk. Now." She said, drinking the alcohol. Michael slumped.

"Fine." He said, groaning. I could hear him muttering something about 'good booze', as he walked up to me, taking a seat in the chair once more. "So... how familiar are you with the multiverse?" He asked me. What? I mean... that sounds familiar, but still. Michael sighed, snapping his fingers. Suddenly, a small picture of Earth appeared. "This is our planet. Good start, right?" He asked me, snapping his fingers again. Suddenly, two more Earths appeared. "Now imagine an Earth where dinosaurs didn't go extinct, or one where something like technology advanced faster. Unlimited possibilities, with unlimited parallels. Now, take this concept and apply it to this all the comics, movies, and video games, among other things, that have happened. Batman? Real. Halo? Real. Avengers? Definitely real." He finished, showing more and more Earths appearing. Whoa... Michael smiled. "This is where we come in... well at least me and some others. I'm what's called an Outsider. Someone brought from Earth to right the wrongs of another universe. Now, I'm not sure about you, but that means that I have a responsibility to this place. And now, we're trying to figure out how you come into all of this." He said, gesturing to Allison. I raised a hand. Michael simply chuckled.

"This ain't a classroom. You can speak freely." He told me, pouring himself another glass of scotch. I lowered my hand sheepishly.

"So... you answered some stuff... but... aren't you human?" I asked, gesturing to him. Michael raised an eyebrow.

"What made you think about that?" He asked, sipping the scotch. I cleared my throat, trying to find the words.

"Well... you did kinda get stabbed in the chest. How'd you walk that off? It didn't exactly hit a safe spot." I said, hearing something suddenly smash. Following the source of the noise, I saw Allison with a broken device in her hands. Her right eye was dangerously twitching, and she turned to Michael.

"What?" She hissed quietly, glaring at him. Michael looked at me with something close to betrayal. Then he looked at the bottle of scotch. He quickly began to down the entire bottle... uh... I don't think that's healthy. Then he looked at Allison, standing up and holding his hands out.

"Look, it wasn't that serious!" He said with a grin. Allison marched up to him, punching him in the chest. Michael groaned softly, and a blotch of red appeared on his shirt.

"Okay... it may have been bad. But we got it under control!" He said, pointing at himself. Wait what? We? Then Michael tilted his head, and one of his eyes turned red. Michael grinned. "Oh, and check this out!" He said, holding out his hands. Suddenly... uh... blue light was around him. Then a... person popped up. Allison visibly jumped, looking at Michael in shock. I couldn't make out many details, but there was three things I could see. One, it was a tall dude. Taller than Michael. Two, he was covered in shadows and had glowing red eyes. Three, he's staring right at me. Oh god he's staring right at me.

 **"So... You're different."** The man said, crossing his arms and looking at me. **"Allison? Go and heal Michael. I wish to talk to Jake here."** He said, waving them off. When Michael protested, the man simply pulled open Micheal's shirt to show...Ouch. A huge wound could be seen, bleeding a bit. Allison's eyes narrowed and she growled, grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him away, despite Michael's protests.

The...shadow...man...thing. Whatever. He looked at me, then sat down in a chair across from me. **"... Jake Richards? Quite a predicament you've found yourself in. Call me...Janus for now. Do you remember how you got here?"** He asked me, titling his head as he spoke. Janus...okaay...weird name. Anyways, I was about to answer him, when I just...blanked out. I blinked, then shivered...I don't remember. I don't remember anything about getting here...I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. How the hell did I forget? What...what happened?

Janus shook his head. **"It seems you aren't sure yourself, judging by the reaction. I can see the confusion on your face. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll figure this out soon enough."** He told me. A door slammed open, and Allison walked back in, huffing as she rolled her eyes. Michael followed her, rolling his eyes as he adjusted his coat, a fresh amount of bandages on his chest. He looked at me, then at Janus.

"What'd you do to him you pile of shadows? He looks scared out of his mind." He said, rolling his eyes.

 **"I didn't do anything. I only asked him a question. It seems he doesn't remember the answer."** Janus shot back.

"Whatever. Kid? Allison's gonna explain a few things to you. Me and Janus gotta talk." Michael said, gesturing to the door that he had just came from. Allison gave me a gentle smile, gesturing me to follow her. I...realize I was still shaken from that little revelation...so I just followed her, shaking my head.

* * *

( _Michael's POV)_

I rolled my eyes as the kid followed Allison. She was only gonna tell him the basics of Remnant, since it was clear he was meant to be here...somehow. I walked over to my desk, taking a seat and letting out another groan. "Man...getting stabbed sucks..." I muttered.

 **"Then don't get stabbed next time."** My oh so lovable roommate told me. I rolled my eyes at his comment, letting out a small snort.

"Cork it mister tall, dark and mysterious. We've still got a job to do." I shot back, pointing to the file at my desk.

 **"Ah yes. Twin Rivers. Seems there is something there."**

"Yeah. All those disappearances weren't coincidental. So whadda think? Spirit?" I asked him, checking over one of my guns.

 **"Perhaps. I can't be too sure until we actually get there. For now, pack up salt. And get ready. Bring iron. Other than that, I think we should rest for the day.**

I snorted, shaking my head as I stretched back a bit, letting myself relax as best I could on my chair. "Yeah...I agree. Think that kid's gonna be alright? Jake I think?"

 **"Oh I think he'll be fine. Especially with us helping him out. Of course, he's gonna have to get used to our...general oddness."** Janus shot back, chuckling a bit as his form vanished.

"Yeah...but what can ya do about it?" I asked, reading over the files once more. Twin Rivers...this is gonna be interesting isn't it?

 _AN: Well then...it's been a while. Sorry for the wait, but writer's block and college are really getting to me. But I'm...still here. So to speak. Let's just see where this goes from here. Sorry again guys, but until next time! Read, Review, and Enjoy!_


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